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ECLECTIC SCHOOL READINGS

STORY OF AENEAS

AUTHOR OF

1. CLARKE

1 > ' ' "*

" ST<>K\ c'i- Tplov,!".'4'1 STORY OF C/ESAR."
. •

,
,

NEW YORK : CINCINNATI •; CHICAGO
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY

.
RARY

* X AND

TIL-

* • • • * — • *— .

CONTENTS.

PAGE

INTRODUCTION— I. VERGIL, THE PRINCE OF POETS ... 7

II. THE GODS AND GODDESSES . . . . n

I. THE WOODEN HORSE 17

II. ^ENEAS LEAVES TROY — THE HARPIES — PROPHESY OF HEL-

ENUS — THE GIANT POLYPHEMUS 35

III. A GREAT STORM — ARRIVAL IN CARTHAGE 52

IV. DIDO'S LOVE- 'THE FUNERAL GAM F.? — SHIPS BURNED BY

THE WOMEN 68

i •

- i ,

V. THE SIBYL OF CUM^P. — T>F GOLDEN BOUGH-- IN THE

REGIONS OF THE DEAP 87

'
>. • - '

VI. ^ENEAS ARRIVES IN LATIUM — WELCOMED BY KING LATINUS 103
VII. ALLIANCE WITH EVANDER-- VULCAN MAKES ARMS FOR

^ENEAS-- THE FAMOUS SHIELD 122

VIII. TURNUS ATTACKS THE TROJAN CAMP — Nisus AND EURYALUS 141
IX. THE COUNCIL OF THE GODS — RETURN OF ^ENEAS — BATTLE

ON THE SHORE — DEATH OF PALLAS 158

X. FUNERAL OF PALLAS — ^ENEAS AND TURNUS FIGHT — TUR-
NUS is SLAIN 174

•!>.-

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• • VS' • \ '-t'

*-Vi^" •*

We c^'* . . t

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^

INTRODUCTION.

I. VERGIL, THE PRINCE OF LATIN POETS.

THE story of /E-ne'as, as related by the Roman
poet Ver'gil in his celebrated poem called the
/E-ne'id, which we are to tell about in this book, is
one of the most interesting of the myths or legends
that have come down to us from ancient authors.

Vergil lived in the time of the Roman Emperor
Au-gus'tus (63 B. c. — 14 A. D.), grand-nephew and
successor of Ju'li-us Cae'sar. Augustus and his
chief counsellor or minister Ma^-ce'nas, gave great
encouragement to learning and learned men, and
under their liberal patronage arose a number of
eminent writers to whose works has been given the

name of classics, as being of the highest rank or
class. The period is known as the Augustan Age,
a phrase also used in reference to periods in the
history of other countries, in which literature reached
its highest perfection. Thus the reign of Queen
Anne (1702-- 1714) is called the Augustan age of
English literature, because of the number of literary

[7]

men who flourished in England in that period, and
the excellence of their works.

Vergil was the greatest of the poets of ancient
Rome, and with the exception of Ho'mer, the
greatest of the poets of antiquity. From a very
early period, almost from the age in which he lived,
he was called the Prince of Latin Poets. His full
name was Pub'li-us Ver-gil'i-us Ma'ro. He was
born about seventy years before Christ, in the vil-
lage of An'des (now Pi-e'to-le), near the town of
Man'tu-a in the north of Italy. His father was the
owner of a small estate, which he farmed himself.
Though of moderate means, he gave his son a good
education. Young Vergil spent his boyhood at
school at Cre-mo'na and Milan. He completed his
studies at Naples, where he read the Greek and
Latin authors, and acquired a knowledge of mathe-
matics, natural philosophy, and medical science.
He afterwards returned to Mantua, and resided there
for a few years, enjoying the quiet of country life at
the family homestead.

About this time the Emperor Augustus was
engaged in a war against a powerful party of his
own countrymen, led by a famous Roman named
Bru'tus. In the year 42 B. c. he defeated Brutus in
a great battle, which put an end to the war. He
afterwards rewarded many of his troops by dividing

among them lands in the neighborhood of Mantua,
and in other parts of Italy, dispossessing the owners
for having sided with his enemies. Though Vergil
had taken no part in the struggle, his farm was
allotted to one of the imperial soldiers. But this
was the beginning of his greatness. Through the

o o o

friendship of the governor of Mantua, he was intro-
duced to Maecenas, and afterwards to Augustus, who
gave orders that his property should be restored
to him.

Thus Vergil became known to the first men of

Rome. He expressed his gratitude to the emperor
in one of a series of poems called Pastorals or
Bu-corics, words which mean shepherds' songs, or
songs descriptive of life in the country. These
poems, though among Vergil's earliest productions,
were highly applauded in Rome. They were so
much esteemed that portions of them were recited
in the theatre in the author's presence, and the
audience were so delighted that they all rose to their
feet, an honor which it was customary to pay only to
Augustus himself. Vergil also wrote a poem called
the Geor'gics, the subject of which is agriculture,
the breeding of cattle, and the culture of bees.
This is said to be the most perfect in finish of
all Latin compositions. The /Eneid is, however,
regarded as the greatest of Vergil's works. The

writing of it occupied the last eleven years of the
poet's life.

Vergil died at Brun-di'si-um, in south Italy, in
the fifty-first year of his age. He was buried near
Naples, by the side of the public road, a few miles
outside that city, where what is said to be his tomb
is still to be seen. Of his character as a man we
are enabled to form an agreeable idea from all that

is known about him. He was modest, gentle and
of a remarkable sweetness of disposition. Although
living in the ighest society while in Rome, he never
forgot his old friends. He was a dutiful and affec-
tionate son, and liberally shared his good fortune
with his aged parents.

As a poet, Vergil was not only the greatest that
Rome produced, but the most popular. His poems,
particularly the ^Eneid, were the favorite reading of
his countrymen. They became a text-book in the
Roman schools. The "little Romans," we are told,
studied the ^neid from their master's dictation,
and wrote compositions upon its heroes. And not
alone in Italy but throughout the world wherever
learning extended, the ^Eneid became popular, and
has retained its popularity down to our own time,
being still a text-book in every school where Latin
is taught.

There are many excellent translations of the

/Eneid into English. In this book we make
numerous quotations from the translation by the
English poet Dryclen, and from the later work by
the eminent Latin scholar Conington.

SPELLING OF THE POET'S NAME.

THE spelling of the poet's name adopted in this book is
now believed to be preferable to the form Wrgil which has
for a long time been in common use. Many of the best
Latin scholars are of opinion that the proper spelling is
Wrgil from the Latin V>rgilius, as the poet himself wrote
it. "As to the fact," says Professor Frieze, "that the poet
called himself Vergilius, scholars are now universally agreed.
It is the form found in all the earliest manuscripts and
inscriptions. In England and America the corrected Latin
form is used by all the best authorities.''

II. THE GODS AND GODDESSES.

It is said that Vergil wrote the /Eneid at the
request of the Emperor Augustus, whose family —
the Ju'li-i — claimed the honor of bein^ descended

•* C5

from /Eneas, through his son I-u'lus or Ju'lus. All
the Romans, indeed, were fond of claiming descent
from the heroes whom tradition told of as having
landed in Italy with /Eneas after escaping from the
ruins of Troy. The city of Troy, or H'i-um, so cele-
brated in ancient song and story, was situated on the
coast of Asia Minor, not far from the entrance to
what is now the Sea of Mar'mo-ra. It was besieged

for ten years by a vast army of the Greeks (natives

of Greece or Hellas) under one of their kings called
Ag-a-mem'non. Homer, the greatest of the ancient
poets, tells about this siege in his famous poem, the
ITi-ad. We shall see later on how the siege Was

brought to an end by the capture and destruction
of the city, as well as how y^Eneas escaped, and what
afterwards happened to him and his companions.
Meanwhile we must learn something about the

gods and goddesses who play so important a part
in the story. At almost every stage of the adven-
tures of ^Eneas, as of the adventures of all ancient
heroes, we find a god or a goddess controlling or
directing affairs, or in some way mixed up with the
course of events.

According to the religion of the ancient Greeks
and Romans there were a great many gods. They
believed that all parts of the universe — the heavens
and the earth, the sun and the moon, the seas and
rivers, and storms — were ruled by different gods.
Those beings it was supposed, were in some respects
like men and women. They needed food and drink
and sleep ; they married and had children ; and like
poor mortals they often had quarrels among them-
selves. Their food was am-bro'si-a, which gave them
immortality and perpetual youth, and their drink
was a delicious wine called nectar.

The gods often visited men and even accepted

their hospitality. Sometimes they married human
beings, and the sons of such marriages were the
demigods or heroes of antiquity. ^Lneas was one
of those heroes, his mother being the goddess
Ve'nus, of whom we shall hear much in the course
of our Story.

Though the gods never died, being immortal, they
might be wounded and suffer bodily pain like men.
They often took part in the quarrels and wars of
people on earth, and they had weapons and armor,
after the manner of earthly warriors. But they
were vastly superior to men in strength and power.
They could travel through the skies, or upon land
or ocean, with the speed of lightning, and they could
change themselves into any form, or make them-
selves visible or invisible at pleasure.

The usual residence of the principal gods was
on the top of Mount O-lym'pus, in Greece. Here
they had golden palaces and a chamber where they
held grand banquets at which celestial music was
rendered by A-polxlo, the god of minstrelsy, and
the Muses, who were the divinities of poetry and
song.

Splendid temples were erected to the gods in all
the chief cities, where they were worshiped with
many ceremonies. Valuable gifts in gold and silver
were presented at their shrines, and at their altars

animals were killed and portions of the flesh burned
as sacrifices. Such offerings were thought to be
very pleasing to the gods.

The head or king of the gods was Ju'pi-ter, also
called Jove or Zeus. He was the great Thunderer,
at whose word the heavens trembled.

He, whose all conscious eyes the world behold,
The eternal Thunderer sat enthroned in gold.
High heaven the footstool of his feet he makes,
And wide beneath him all Olympus shakes.

HOMER, Iliad, BOOK VIII.

The wife of Jupiter, and the queen of heaven,
was Ju'no, who, as we shall see, persecuted the hero
^Eneas with "unrelenting hate." Nep'tune, repre-
sented as bearing in his hand a trident, or three-
pronged fork, was the god of the sea.

Neptune, the mighty marine god,

Earth's mover, and the fruitless ocean's king.

HOMER.

Mars was the god of war, and Plu'to, often called
Dis or Ha'des, was the god of the lower or " infer-
nal " regions, and hence also the god of the dead.
One of the most glorious and beautiful of the gods
was Apollo, god of the sun, of medicine, music,
poetry, and all fine arts.

Bright-hair'd Apollo! -- thou who ever art

A blessing to the world — whose mighty heart

Drawn by Blashfield,

A ROMAN AUGUR.

Forever pours out love, and light, and life;
Thou, at whose glance, all things of earth are rife
With happiness.

PlKR

Another of the famous divinities of the ancients
was Venus, the goddess of beauty and love.
According to some of the myths she was the daugh-
ter of Jupiter. Others say that she sprang from the
foam of the sea.

These and countless other imaginary beings were
believed in as deities under the religious system of
the ancient Greeks and Romans, and every unusual
or striking event was thought to be caused by some
god or goddess.

The will of the gods, it was supposed, was made
known to men in different ways — by dreams, by the
flight of birds, or by a direct message from Olym-
pus. Very often it was learned by consulting
seers, augurs or soothsayers. These were persons
believed to have the power of prophecy. There
was a famous temple of Apollo at Delphi, in Greece,
where a priestess called Pyth'i-a gave answers, or
oracles, to those who came to consult her. The
name oracle was also applied to the place where such
answers were received. There were a great many
oracles in ancient times, but that at Delphi was the
most celebrated.

STORY OF ^NEAS.

I. THE WOODEN HORSE,

THE gods, of course, had much to do with the
siege and fall of Troy, as well as with the sufferings
of ^Eneas, which Verml describes in the y^Eneicl

There were sr>ds and goddesses on both sides in

o o

the great conflict. Some were for the Tro'jans,
others for the Greeks, and some had their favorites
amonor the heroes and warriors who fouo-ht on one

o o

side or the other. Two very powerful goddesses,
Juno and Mi-ner'va (the goddess of wisdom, also
called Farias), hated the Trojans because of the
famous "judgment of Pa'ris," which came about in
this \vay — .

A king of Athens named Pe'leus married a beau-
tiful sea-nymph named The'tis. All the gods and
goddesses were present at the wedding feast except
E'ris, the goddess of discord. She was not invited,
and being angry on that account, she resolved to
cause dissension amon<j the quests. \Yith this

o o

STO. OF /KXKAS — 2 [17]

object she threw into the midst of the assembly a
golden apple bearing the inscription, " For the most
beautiful." Immediately a dispute arose as to which
of the goddesses was entitled to the prize, but at
last all gave up their claim except Juno, Venus, and
Minerva, and they agreed to leave the settlement of
the question to Paris, son of Pri'am, King of Troy,
a young prince who was noted for the wisdom of his
judgments upon several occasions.

The three goddesses soon afterwards appeared
before Paris, and each endeavored by the offer of
tempting bribes, to induce him to decide in her
favor. Juno promised him great power and wealth.

She to Paris made
Proffer of royal power, ample rule
Unquestion'd.

TENNYSON.

Minerva offered military glory, and Venus prom-
ised that she would give him the most beautiful
woman in the world for his wife. After hearing
their claims and promises, Paris gave the apple to
Venus. This award or judgment brought upon
him and his family, and all the Trojans, the hatred of
the two other goddesses, particularly of Juno, who,
being the queen of heaven, had expected that the
preference, as a matter of course, would be given
to hen

But besides the judgment of Paris, there was
another cause of Juno's anger against Troy. She
had heard of a decree of the Fates that a race
descended from the Trojans was one day to destroy
Carthage, a city in which she was worshipped with
much honor, and which she regarded with great
affection. She therefore hated y^neas, through
whom, as the ancestor of the founders of Rome, the
destruction of her beloved city was to be brought
about.

On account of this hatred of the Trojans, Juno
persuaded her royal husband, Jupiter, to consent to
the downfall of Troy, and so the valor of all its
heroic defenders, of whom y'Eneas was one, could
not save it from its fate, decreed by the king of the
gods. Many famous warriors fell during the long
siege. Hec'tor, son of Priam, the greatest of the
Trojan champions, was slain by A-chil'les, the most
valiant of the Greeks, and Achilles \vas himself
slain by Paris. After losing their bravest leader the
Greeks despaired of being able to take the city by
force, and so they resorted to stratagem. By the
advice of Minerva they erected a huge horse of
wood on the plain in front of the walls, and within
its body they placed a chosen band of their boldest
warriors. Then pretending that they had given up
the struggle, they withdrew to their ships, and set

sail, as if with the purpose of returning to Greece.
But they went no further than Ten'e-dos, an island
opposite Troy, a few miles from the coast.

" There was their fleet concealed. We thought for Greece
Their sails were hoisted, and our fears release.
The Trojans, cooped within their walls so long,
Unbar their gates and issue in a throng
Like swarming bees, and with delight survey
The camp deserted, where the Grecians lay:
The quarters of the several chiefs they showed:
Here Phoe'nix, here Achilles, made abode;
Here joined the battles; there the navy rode.
Part on the pile their wandering eyes employ —
The pile by Pallas raised to ruin Troy."

DKYDEN, SEneid, BOOK II.

The Trojans when they saw the big horse, could
not think what it meant, or what should be done
with it. Various opinions were given. Some
thought it was a peace offering, and one chief pro-
posed that it should be dragged within the walls
and placed in the citadel. Others advised that it
should be cast into the sea, or set on fire, or at least
that they ought to burst it open to find whether
anything were concealed within. While they were
thus discussing the matter, some urging one course,
some another, the priest La-oc'o-6n rushed out from
the city followed by a great crowd, and he
.exclaimed in a loud voice: " Unhappy fellow-coun-

trymen, what madness is this? Are you so foolish
as to suppose that the enemy are gone, or that any
offering of theirs can be free from deception ? Either
Greeks are hidden in this horse, or it is an engine
designed for some evil to our city. Put no faith in
it, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even
when they tender gifts." Thus speaking, Laocoon
hurled his spear into the horse's side.

His mighty spear he cast:
Quivering it stood: the sharp rebound
Shook the huge monster: and a sound
Through all its caverns passed.

CONINGTON, JEneid^ BOOK II.

But at this point the attention of the multitude
was attracted by the appearance of a group of
Trojan shepherds dragging along a prisoner with
his hands bound behind his back, who, they said,
had delivered himself up to them of his own accord.
Being taken before King Priam, and questioned as
to who he was and whence he came, the stranger
told an artful story. He was a Greek, he said, and
his name was Si'non. His countrymen had long
been weary of the war, and had often resolved to
return home, but were hindered by storms from
making the attempt. And when the wooden horse
was built, the tempests raged and the thunder
rolled more than ever.

" Chiefly when completed stood
This horse, compact of maple wood,
Fierce thunders, pealing in our ears,
Proclaimed the turmoil of the spheres."

CONINGTON, &neid^ BOOK II.

Then the Greeks sent a messenger to the shrine

of Apollo to inquire how they might obtain a safe
passage to their country. The answer was that the
life of a Greek must be sacrificed on the altar of the
god. All were horror-stricken by this announce-
ment, for each feared that the doom might fall
upon himself.

" Through every heart a shudder ran,
* Apollo's victim — who the man ?' "

CONINGTON, JEneid^ BOOK II.

The selection of the person to be the victim was
left to Carchas, the soothsayer, who fixed upon
Sinon, and preparations were accordingly made to
sacrifice him on the altar of Apollo, but he contrived
to escape and conceal himself until the Grecian
fleet had sailed.

" I fled, I own it, from the knife,
I broke my bands and ran for life,
And in a marish lay that night
While they should sail, if sail they might."

CONINGTON, SEneid, BOOK II.

This was Sinon's story. The Trojans believed it

and King Priam ordered the prisoner to be released,
and promised to give him protection in Troy. " But
tell me," said the king, "why did they make this
horse? Was it for a religious purpose or as an
engine of war?" The treacherous Sinon answered

that the horse was intended as a peace offering to
the gods; that it had been built on the advice of

Calchas, who had directed that it should be made
of immense size so that the Trojans should not be
able to drag it within their walls, "for," said he,
"if the men of Troy do any injury to the gift, evil
will come upon the kingdom of Priam, but if they
bring it into their city, all Asia will make war
against Greece, and on our children will come the
destruction which we would have brought upon
Troy."

The Trojans believed this story also, and their
belief was strengthened by the terrible fate which
just then befell Laocoon, who a little before had
pierced the side of the horse with his spear. While
the priest and his two sons were offering a sacrifice
to Neptune on the shore, two enormous serpents
suddenly issued from the sea and seized and crushed
them to death in sight of the people. The Trojans
were filled with fear and astonishment at this specta-
cle, and they regarded the event as a punishment
from the gods upon Laocoon

Who dared to harm with impious steel
Those planks of consecrated deal.

CONINGTON, &neid^ BOOK IL

Then a cry arose that the " peace offering " should
be conveyed into the city, and accordingly a great
breach was made in the walls that for ten years had
resisted all the assaults of the Greeks, and by means
of rollers attached to its feet, and ropes tied around
its limbs, the horse was dragged into the citadel, the
young men and maidens singing songs of triumph.
But in the midst of the rejoicing there were portents
of the approaching evil. Four times the huge figure
halted on the threshold of the gate, and four times
it gave forth a sound from within, as if of the clash
of arms.

"Four times 'twas on the threshold stayed:
Four times the armor clashed and brayed.
Yet on we press with passion blind,
All forethought blotted from our mind,
Till the dread monster we install
Within the temple's tower-built wall."

CONINGTON, ^Eneid, BOOK II.

The prophetess Cas-san'dra, too, the daughter of
King Priam, had warned her countrymen of the
doom that was certain to fall upon the city if the
horse were admitted. Her warning Was, however,

disregarded. The fateful gift of the Greeks was

placed in the citadel, and the Trojans, thinking that
their troubles were now over, and that the enemy
had departed to return no more, spent the rest of the
day in feasting and rejoicing.

But in the dead of the night, when they were all
sunk in sleep, the Greek fleet sailed back from
Tenedos, and on King Agamemnon's ship a bright
light was shown, which was the signal to the false
Sinon to complete his work of treachery. Quickly
he u unlocked the horse" and forth from their hiding
place came the armed Greek \varriors. Among
them were the famous U-lys'ses, and Ne-op-tol'e-mus,
son of the brave Achilles, and Men-e-la'us, hus-
band of the celebrated Hel'en whom Paris, son of
Priam, had carried off from Greece, which was the
cause of the war. Ulysses and his companions then
rushed to the walls, and after slaying the sentinels,
threw open the gates of the city to the main body of
the Greeks who had by this time landed from their
ships. Thus Troy was taken.

And the long baffled legions, bursting in

Through gate and bastion, blunted sword and spear

With unresisted slaughter.

LEWIS MORRIS.

Meanwhile /Eneas, sleeping in the house of his
father, An-chi'ses, had a dream in which the ghost
of Hector appeared to him, shedding abundant tears,

and disfigured with wounds as when he had been

dragged around the walls of Troy behind the chariot
of the victorious Achilles. In a mournful voice,
^Eneas, seeming to forget that Hector was dead,
inquired why he had been so long absent from the
defense of his native city, and from what distant
shores he had now returned. But the spirit answered
only by a solemn warning to /Eneas, the "goddess-
born " (being the son of Venus) to save himself by
immediate flight.

" O goddess-born ! escape by timely flight,
The flames and horrors of this fatal night.
The foes already have possessed the wall ;
Troy nods from high, and totters to her fall.
Enough is paid to Priam's royal name,
More than enough to duty and to fame.
If by a mortal hand my father's throne
Could be defended, 'twas by mine alone.
Now Troy to thee commends her future state,
And gives her gods companions of thy fate ;
From their assistance, happier walls expect,
Which, wand'ring long, at last thou shalt erect."

DRYDEN, &neid^ BOOK II.

Awaking from his sleep, y^Eneas was startled by
the clash of arms and by cries of battle, which he
now heard on all sides. Rushino- to the roof of the

house and gazing around, he saw the palaces of
many of the Trojan princes in flames, and he heard

the shouts of the victorious Greeks, and the blaring
of their trumpets. Notwithstanding the warning of
Hector, he ran for his weapons.

Resolved on death, resolved to die in arms,
But first to gather friends, with them to oppose
(If fortune favored) and repel the foes.

DRYDEN, dLneid, BOOK II.

At the door, as he was going forth to join the
combat, he met the Trojan Pan' thus, a priest of
Apollo, who had just escaped by flight from the
swords of the Greeks. In reply to the questions of
^neas, the priest told him, in words of grief and
despair, that Troy's last day had come.

" 'Tis come, our fated day of death.
We have been Trojans ; Troy has been ;
She sat, but sits no more, a queen ;

Stern Jove an Argive rule proclaims ;
Greece holds a city wrapt in flames.
There in the bosom of the town
The tall horse rains invasion down,
And Sinon, with a conqueror's pride,
Deals fiery havoc far and wide.
Some keep the gates, as vast a host
As ever left Myce'nae's coast ;
Some block the narrows of the street,
With weapons threatening all they meet ;
The stark sword stretches o'er the way,
Quick-glancing, ready drawn to slay,

While scarce our sentinels resist,
And battle in the flickering mist."

CONINGTON, JEneid, BOOK II.

As Panthus ceased speaking, several Trojan
chiefs came up. and eagerly joined y'Eneas in resolv-
ing to make a last desperate attempt to save their
native city. Together they rushed into the thick of
the fight. Some were slain, and some with ^Eneas
succeeded in forcing their way to the palace of King
Priam, where a fierce struggle was then raging.
Entering by a secret door, ^neas climbed to the
roof, from which he and the other brave defenders
of the palace hurled stones and beams of wood upon
the enemy below. But all their heroic efforts were
in vain. In front of the principal gate, battering
upon it with his huge battle-axe, stood Neoptolemus
(also called Pyr'rhus) the son of Achilles. Soon its
posts, though plated with bronze, gave way before
his mighty strokes, and a great breach was made,
through which the Greeks poured into the stately
halls of the Trojan king. Then there was a scene
of wild confusion and terror.

The house is filled with loud laments and cries
And shrieks of women rend the vaulted skies.

DRYDEN, JEneid^ BOOK II.

The aged king when he saw that the enemy was
beneath his roof, put on his armor "long disused,"

and was about to rush forth to meet the foe, but
Hec'u-ba, his queen, persuaded him to take refuge
with her in a court of the palace in which were
placed the altars of their gods. Here he was shortly
afterwards cruelly slain by Pyrrhus.

Thus Priam fell, and shared one common fate
With Troy in ashes, and his ruined state ;
He, who the scepter of all Asia swayed,
Whom monarchs like domestic slaves obeyed.

DRYDEN, ^Eneid^ BOOK II.

There being now no hope to save the city, the
thoughts of /Eneas turned to his own home where
he had left his father Anchises, his wife Cre-u'sa
(daughter of King Priam) and his son lulus (also
named As-ca'ni-us). Making his way thither with
the purpose of providing for their safety, he espied
Helen, the ''common scourge of Greece and Troy,"
sitting in the porch of the temple of the goddess
Ves'ta. Enraged at the si^ht of the woman who

o o

had been the cause of so many woes to his country,
/Eneas was about to slay her on the spot, but at
that moment his mother Venus appeared to him in
the midst of a bright li^ht.

o o

Great in her charms, as when on gods abov3
She looks, and breathes herself into their love.

DKVUEN, JEneid, BOOK U

3°

Taking the hero by the hand as he was in the act
of raising his sword to strike Helen, the goddess
thus rebuked him : " What is it that excites your
anger now, my son ? Where is your regard for me ?
Have you forgotten your father Anchises and your
wife and little son? They would have been killed
by the Greeks if I had not cared for thenVand saved
them. It is not Helen or Paris that has laid low
this great city of Troy, but the wrath of the gods.
See now, for I will take away the mist that covers
your mortal eyes ; see how Neptune with his trident
is overthrowing the walls and rooting up the city
from its foundations; and how Juno stands with
spear and shield in the Scae'an Gate, and calls fresh
hosts from the ships; and how Pallas sits on the
height with the storm-cloud about her; and how
Father Jupiter himself stirs up the enemy against
Troy. Fly, therefore, my son. I myself will guard
you till you stand before your father's door."

The goddess then disappeared and tineas quickly
proceeded to obey her command. Hastening home
he resolved to take his aged father to a place of
safety in the hills beyond the city, but the old man
refused to go. " You, who are young and strong,"
said he, " may go, but I shall remain here, for if it
had been the will of the gods that I should live,
they would have preserved my home."

" Now leave me: be your farewell said
To this my corpse, and count me dead."

CONINGTON, JEneid^ BOOK II.

Nor could all the entreaties of his son and wife
move him from his resolution. Then /Eneas, in
grief and despair, was about to rush back to the
battle, which still raged in the city, preferring to
die rather than to go and leave his father behind.
But at this moment a bright flame as if of fire was
seen to play around the head of the boy lulus, and
send forth beams of light. Alarmed as well as
surprised at the spectacle, /Eneas was about to
extinguish the flames by water, when Anchises
cried out that it was a sio;n from heaven that he

should accompany his family in their flight from
the city.

This pretty story, it is said, was meant by Vergil
as a compliment to Augustus, the idea intended to
be conveyed being that the seal of sovereign power
was thus early set upon the founder of the great
house of Julius.

The gods seeming thus to ordain the immediate
departure of the hero and his family, they all speedily
set forth, ^neas carrying his father on his shoulders,
while lulus walked by his side, and Creusa followed
at some distance. They had arranged to meet at a
ruined temple outside the city, where they were to

Drawn by Varian.

CARRYING HIS FATHER OUT OF TROY.

be joined by their servants, but when they reached
the place, it was discovered that Creusa had disap-
peared. Great was the grief of /Eneas. In agony
he hastened back to the city in search of his wife.
Coming to his father's palace, he found it already
in flames. Then he hurried on through the streets,

in his distress calling aloud the name of Creusa.

Suddenly her figure started up before him, larger
than when in life, for it was her spirit he saw.
Appalled at the sight, /Eneas stood in silence gaz-
ing at the apparition while it thus spoke:

" Beloved husband, why do you give way to grief?
What has happened is by the decree of heaven. It
was not the will of the jjods that I should accom-

pany you. You have a long journey to make, and
a wide extent of sea to cross, before you reach the
shores of Hes-pe'ri-a, where the Ti'ber flows in
gentle course through the rich fields of a warlike
race. There prosperity awaits you, and you shall
take to yourself a wife of a royal line. Weep not
for me. The mother of the gods keeps me in this
land to serve her. And now farewell, and fail not
to love and watch over our son."

Then the form of Creusa melted into air, and the
sorrowing husband returned to the place where his
father and son awaited him. There he found a
number of his fellow-citizens prepared to follow him

STO. OF /ENEAS — 3

into exile. They first took refuge in the forests of
Mount Fda, not far from the ruined city. In this
place they spent the winter, and they built a fleet ot
ships at An-tan'dros, a coast town at the foot of the
mountain.

" Near old Antandros, and at Ida's foot,
The timber of the sacred groves we cut,
And build our fleet — uncertain yet to find
What place the gods for our repose assigned."

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK III.

It is remarkable that Vergil does not tell how
Creusa came by her death. Apparently we are left
to infer that she was killed by the Greeks.

II. ^NEAS LEAVES TROY — THE HARPIES —
PROPHECY OF HELENUS — THE GIANT

POLYPHEMUS.

IN the early days of summer — the fleet being ready
and all preparations complete — Anchises gave the
order for departure, and so they set sail, piously car-
rying with them the images of their household gods
and of the " great o^ods " of their nation. The first

o o

land they touched was the coast of Thrace, not far
from Troy. y^Eneas thought he would build a city
and make a settlement here, as the country had been,
from early times, connected by ties of friendship
with his own. To obtain the blessing of heaven

on an undertaking of such importance, he set about
performing religious services in honor of his mother
Venus and the other gods, sacrificing a snow-white
bull as an offering to Jupiter. Close by the place
there happened to be a little hill, on the top of
which was a grove of myrtle, bristling with thick-
clustering, spear-like shoots. Wishing to have
some of those plants to decorate his altars, yEneas

[35]

pulled one up from the ground, whereupon he
beheld drops of blood oozing from the torn roots.
Though horrified at the sight he plucked another
bough, and. again blood oozed out as before. Then
praying to the gods to save himself and his people
from whatever evil there might be in the omen,
he proceeded to tear up a third shoot, when from
out the earth at his feet a voice uttered these
words :

" O, ^Eneas ! why do you tear an unhappy wretch ?
Spare me, now that I am in my grave ; forbear to
pollute your pious hands. It is from no tree-trunk
that the blood comes. Quit this barbarous land
with all speed. Know that I am Pol-y-do'rus. Here
I was slain by many arrows, which have taken root
and grown into a tree."

Deep was the horror of /Eneas while he listened
to this dreadful story, for he knew that Polydorus
was one of the younger sons of Priam. Early in the
war, his father, fearing that the Trojans might be
defeated, had sent him for protection to the court of
the kins: of Thrace. At the same time he sent the

greater part of his treasures, including a large sum of
money, to be taken care of by the king till the war
should be over. But as soon as the Thracian mon-
arch heard of the fall of Troy he treacherously slew
the young prince and seized all his father's treasure.

False to divine and human laws,
The traitor joins the conqueror's cause,
Lays impious hands on Polydore,
And grasps by force the golden store.
Fell lust of gold! abhorred, accurst!
What will not men to slake such thirst ?

CONINGTON, j^Eneid^ BOOK III.

When /Eneas related this story to his father and
the other Trojan chiefs, they all agreed to depart
forthwith from a land polluted by so black a crime.
But first they performed funeral rites on the grave
of Polydorus, erecting two altars which they
decked with cypress wreaths, the emblem of mourn-
ing, and offering sacrifices to the gods.

Soon afterwards, the winds being favorable, they
set sail, and in a few days reached De'los, one of the
isles of Greece, where there was a famous temple of
Apollo. A'ni-us, the king of the island, and a priest
of Apollo, gave them a hospitable reception. In the
great temple they made suitable offerings, and
/Eneas prayed to the god to tell them in what coun-
try they might find a resting place and a home.
Scarcely had the prayer been finished when the
temple and the earth itself seemed to quake, where-
upon the Trojans prostrated themselves in lowly
reverence upon the ground, and presently they heard
a voice saying:

" Brave sons of Dar'da-nus, the land which save

birth to your ancestors shall again receive your
race in its fertile bosom. Seek out your ancient
mother. There the house of /Eneas shall rule over
every coast, and his children's children and their
descendants."

The answers or oracles of the gods were often
given in mysterious words, as in the present case.
/Eneas and his companions did not know what land
was meant by the " ancient mother," but Anchises,
" revolving in his mind the legends of the men of
old," remembered having heard that one of his
ancestors, Teu'cer, (the father-in-law of Dardanus),
had come from the island of Crete. Believing,
therefore, that that was the land referred to in the
words of the oracle, they set sail, having first sacri-
ficed to Apollo, to Neptune, god of the ocean, and
to the god of storms, that their voyage might be
favorable.

A bull to Neptune, an oblation due,
Another bull to bright Apollo slew ;
A milk-white ewe, the western winds to please
And one coal-black, to calm the stormy seas.

DRYDEN, /Eneid^ BOOK III.

They arrived safely at Crete (now known as
Can'di-a) where they remained a considerable time
and built a city which /Eneas called Per'ga-mus, the
name of the famous citadel or fort of Troy. But

here a new misfortune came upon the exiles in the
shape of a plague, which threatened destruction to
man and beast and the fruits of the field.

Sudden on man's feeble frame
From tainted skies a sickness came,
On trees and crops a poisonous breath,
A year of pestilence and death.

CONINGTON, sEneid) BOOK III.

Anchises now proposed that they should return to
Delos, and again seek the counsel and aid of Apollo,
but that night ^Eneas had a dream in which the house-
hold ^ods whose images he had carried with him

o o

from Troy, appeared to him, and told him that Crete
was not the land destined by the gods for him and
his people. They also told him where that Hesperia
was, of which he had heard from the shade of
Creusa.

"A land there is, Hesperia called of old,
(The soil is fruitful, and the natives bold —
The CE-no'tri-ans held it once,) by later fame
Now called I-ta'li-a, from the leader's name.
I-a'si-us there, and Dardanus, were born:
From thence we came, and thither must return.
Rise, and thy sire with these glad tidings greet:
Search Italy: for Jove denies thee Crete."

DRVDEX, JEneid, BOOK III.

made haste to tell this dream to his father,
whereupon the old man advised that they should

at once depart. So they quickly got their ships in
order and set sail for Hesperia — the Land of the
West. But scarcely had they lost sight of the shore
when a terrible storm arose which drove them out
of their course, and for three days and nights the
light of heaven was shut from their view. Even the
great Pal-i-nu'rus, the pilot of the ship of /Eneas,
" could not distinguish night from day, or remember
his true course in the midst of the wave."

On the fourth clay, however, the storm ceased and
soon the Trojans sighted land in the distance. It
was one of the islands of the Ionian sea, called the
Stroph'a-des. Here dwelt the Har'pies, monsters
having faces like women, and bodies, wings, and
claws like vultures. When the Trojans landed they
saw herds of oxen and flocks of goats grazing in
the fields. They killed some of them and prepared
a feast upon the shore, and having first, in accord-
ance with their invariable custom, made offerings to

the gods, they proceeded " to banquet on the rich
viands." But they had hardly begun their meal
when the Harpies, with noisy flapping of wings and
fearful cries, swooped down upon them, snatched off
a great portion of the meat, and so spoiled the rest
with their unclean touch that it was unfit to eat.

From the mountain-tops with hideous cry,
And clattering wings, the hungry Harpies fly:

And snatch the meat, defiling all they find,
And parting, leave a loathsome stench behind.

DKYDEN, /Eneid^ BOOK III.

The Trojans got ready another meal and again
sat down to eat, but the Harpies again came down
upon them as before, and did in like manner.
/Eneas and his companions then resolved to fight
so they took their swords and drove the foul mon-
sters off, though they could not kill any of them, for
their skins were proof against wounds. One of them,
however, remained behind, and perching on a rock,
cried out in words of anger against the intruders.
" Do you dare, base Trojans," said she, " to make
war upon us after killing our oxen ? Do you dare
to drive the Harpies from the place which is their
own ? Listen then to what I have to tell you, which
the father of the gods revealed to Phoe'bus Apollo,
and Apollo revealed to me. Italy is the land you
seek, and Italy you shall reach ; but you shall not
build the walls of your city until dire famine, visit-
ing you because you have injured us, shall compel
you to devour even your tables."

This Harpy was named Ce-lae'no. When the
Trojans heard her awful words they prayed to
the gods for protection, and then hastening to their
ships, they put to sea. They soon came near
Ith'a-ca, the island kingdom of Ulysses, the most

42
skilful in stratagem of all the Greek chiefs at the

Trojan war. Cursing the land which gave birth to
that cruel enemy of their country, /Eneas and his
companions sailed past, and they continued their
voyage until they reached the rocky island of Leu-
ca'di-a on the coast of E-pi'rus, where there was
another temple of Apollo. Here they landed, re-
joicing that they had steered safely by so many cities
of their enemies, for since leaving Crete their route
had been mostly along the Grecian coast. They
spent the winter in Leucadia, passing their leisure in
games of wrestling and other athletic exercises,
which were the sports of warriors in those ancient
times, ^neas fastened to the door of the temple a
shield of bronze — a trophy he had carried away from
Troy — and upon it he put the inscription:

THIS ARMOR .ENEAS WON FROM THE
CONQUERING GREEKS.

In spring the wanderers again took to their ships,
and sailing northwards, close to the coast, they
came to Bu-thro'tum in Epirus, where they were
surprised to learn that Hel'e-nus, son of Priam, was
king of the country and that his wife was Androm'-
a-che, who had formerly been wife of the famous
Hector. /Eneas having heard this upon landing,
proceeded without delay towards the city, impatient

to greet his kindred and to know how they had
come to be there. It happened that just then
Andromache was offering sacrifice on a tomb

which she had erected outside the walls to the
memory of Hector. Seeing /Eneas approach she

at once recognized him, but she was so overcome
°

with surprise that for some time she was unable to
utter a word. As soon as she recovered strength to
speak she told /Eneas that she had been carried off
from Troy by Pyrrhus, and that Pyrrhus had given
her to Helenus, after he himself had married Her-
mi'o-ne, the daughter of the famous Helen. She
also told that on the death of Pyrrhus who had
been slain by O-res'tes, son of Agamemnon, part
of his kingdom was given to Helenus.

o o

Meanwhile king Helenus having heard of the
arrival of the Trojans came out from the city to
meet them, accompanied by a numerous train of
attendants. He affectionately greeted /Eneas and
his companions, and invited them to his palace,
where he hospitably entertained them during their
stay. Helenus, besides being a king and the son of
a king, was a famous soothsayer, so /Eneas begged
him to exercise his powers of prophecy on behalf of
himself and his people. Helenus readily complied
with the request. After offering the usual sacrifices
to the gods, he told the Trojan chief that he had yet

a long voyage to make before reaching his destina-
tion, that the place in which he should found his
new kingdom was on the banks of a river, and that

he would know it by finding there a white sow,
with a litter of thirty young ones.

" In the shady shelter of a wood,
And near the margin of a gentle flood,
Thou shalt behold a sow upon the ground,
With thirty sucking young encompassed round
(The dam and offspring white as falling snow);
These on thy city shall their name bestow ;
And there shall end thy labors and thy woe."

DRYDEN, /Eneid, BOOK III.

As to the Harpy's dreadful prophecy that the
Trojans would have to eat their tables, Helenus
bade ^Eneas not to be troubled about it, for
" the fates would find a way," and Apollo would be
present to aid. Then the soothsayer warned his
countrymen to shun the strait between Italy and
Sicily, where on one side was the frightful monster
Scyl'la, with the face of a woman and the tail of a
dolphin, and on the other was the dangerous whirl-
pool Cha-ryb'dis. But more important than all
other things, they must offer sacrifices and prayers
to Juno, that her anger might be turned away from
them, for she it was who had hitherto opposed all
their efforts to reach their promised land.

Helenus also told them that on arriving in Italy
they must seek out and consult the famous Sib'yl of
Cu'mae. This was a prophetess who usually wrote
her prophecies on leaves of trees, which she placed
at the entrance to her cave. These leaves had to
be taken up very carefully and quickly, for if they
were scattered about by the wind, it would be impos-
sible to put them in order again, so as to read them
or understand their meaning. Helenus, therefore,
directed ^neas to request the Sibyl to give her
answers by word of mouth. She would do so, he
said, and tell him all that was to happen to him
and his people in Italy — the wars they would have
to encounter, the dangers they were to meet, and
how to avoid them.

Thus Helenus prophesied and gave counsel to
his kinsmen. Then he made presents to y^Eneas
and Anchises of valuable things in gold and
silver, and he sent pilots to the ships, and horses
and arms for the men. And Andromache gave
embroidered robes to Ascanius and a cloak wrought
in Gfold.

Soon afterwards the wanderers bade farewell to
their friends, and set sail. Next day they came in
sight of Italy, which they hailed with loud shouts
of rejoicing. It was the south-eastern point of the
peninsula, and as the Trojans approached it, they

saw a harbor into which they ran their ships. Here
they went ashore and offered sacrifices to Minerva,
and also to Juno, remembering the advice of Hel-
enus. But that part of the country being inhabited
by Greeks, they made haste to depart, and taking
their course southward, they passed by the Bay of
Ta-ren'tum and down the coast until they came to
the entrance of the strait now called Messina. This
was a point of danger, for the loud roaring of the
sea warned them that they were not far from the
terrible Charybdis. Quickly Palinurus turned his
ship to the left, and, all the others following, made
straight for the Sicilian shore. Here they landed
almost at the foot of y^Etna, famous then as in our
own times as a volcano or burning mountain.

Under this mountain, according to an old legend,
Jupiter imprisoned En-cera-dus, one of the giants
who had dared to make war against heaven, and as
often as the giant turned his weary sides, all Sicily
trembled and the mountain sent forth flames of
fire and streams of molten lava.

Enceladus, they say, transfixed by Jove,

With blasted limbs came tumbling from above ;

And when he fell, the avenging father drew

This flaming hill, and on his body threw.

As often as he turns his weary sides,

He shakes the solid isle, and smoke, the heavens hides.

DRVDEN, sEneirf, BOOK III.

47
But beside the horrors of the " flaming hill '

there was another danger to which the Trojans were
now exposed. Sicily was the land of the terrible
Cy'clops. These were fierce giants of immense
size, with one eye, huge and round, in the middle of
their foreheads. The morning after their arrival,
the Trojans were surprised to see a stranger run-
ning forth from the woods, and with arms out-
stretched imploring their protection. Being asked
who he was, he said he was a Greek, and that his
name was Ach-e-men'ides. He had been at Troy
with Ulysses, and was one of the companions of
that famous warrior in his adventures after the
siege. In their wanderings they had come to
Sicily and had been in the very cave of Pol-y-phe'-
mus, the largest and fiercest of the Cyclops, who
had killed several of the unfortunate Greeks.

" I myself," said Achemenides, " saw him seize
two of our number and break their bodies against

a rock. I saw their limbs quivering between his
teeth. But Ulysses did not suffer such things to
go unpunished, for when the giant lay asleep,
GforGred with food, and made drunk with wine,

o o

(which Ulysses had given him) we, having prayed
to the gods, and arranged by lot what part each
should perform, crowded around him and with a
sharp weapon bored out his eye, which was as large

as the orb of the sun, and so we avenged the death
of our comrades."

But in their flight from the cave, after punishing
Polyphemus, the Greeks left Achemenides behind,
and for three months he lived on berries in the
woods. He now warned the Trojans to depart
from the island with all speed, for, he said, a hun-
dred other Cyclops, huge and savage, dwelt on those
shores, tending their flocks among the hills.

" Such, and so vast as Polypheme appears,
A hundred more this hated island bears;
Like him, in caves they shut their wooly sheep;
Like him their herds on tops of mountains keep;
Like him, with mighty strides they stalk from steep to
steep."

DRYDEN, SEneid, BOOK III.

Scarcely had Achemenides finished his story
when Polyphemus himself appeared coming down
from the mountain in the midst of his flocks.
A horrid monster he was, " huge, awful, hideous,
ghastly, blind." In his hand he carried the trunk
of a pine tree to guide his steps, and striding to the
water's edge, he waded far into the sea, yet the
waves did not touch his sides.

The Trojans now quickly got to their vessels,
taking Achemenides with them, and they plied
their oars with the utmost speed. Hearing the

voices of the rowers and the sweep of their oars,
the blind giant stretched out his hands in the direc-
tion of the sound, seeking to seize his enemies, as
he took them to be. But the Trojans had got
beyond his reach. Then in his rage and disappoint-
ment the monster raised a mighty shout which
echoed from the mountain sides and brought forth

his brethren from their woods and caves.

" To heaven he lifts a monstrous roar,

Which sends a shudder through the waves,

Shakes to its base the Italian shore,

And echoing runs through Etna's caves.

From rocks and woods the Cyclop host

Rush startled forth, and crowd the coast.

There glaring fierce we see them stand

In idle rage, a hideous band,

The sons of yEtna, carrying high

Their towering summits to the sky."

CONINGTON, SEneid) BOOK III.

After thus escaping from the terrible Polyphemus,
the Trojan wanderers sailed along the coasts of
Sicily, and coming to the north-west extremity of
the island, they put ashore at Drep'a-num. Here
^Eneas met with a misfortune which none of the
prophets had predicted. This was the death of his
venerable father Anchises.

"After endless labors (often tossed
By raging storms and driven on every coast),

My dear, dear father, spent with age, I lost —
Ease of my cares, and solace of my pain,
Saved through a thousand toils, but saved in vain!
The prophet, who my future woes revealed,
Yet this, the greatest and the worst, concealed,
And dire Celaeno, whose foreboding skill
Denounced all else, was silent of this ill."

DRYDEN, JEneid, BOOJ* IIL

III. A GREAT STORM — ARRIVAL IN

CARTHAGE.

THUS far you have read the story of the Trojan
exiles as it was told by yEneas himself to Di'do,
queen of Carthage, at whose court we shall soon
find him, after a dreadful storm which scattered his
ships, sinking one, and driving the rest upon the
coast of Africa. The narrative occupies the second
and third books of the /Eneid. In the first book
the poet begins by telling of Juno's unrelenting
hate, which was the chief cause of all the evils that
befell the Trojans.

Arms and the man I sing, who, forced by fate,
And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate,
Expelled and exiled, left the Trojan shore.
Long labors, both by sea and land he bore.

DRYDEN, Mneid^ BOOK I.

It was at Juno's request that ^E'o-lus, god of the
winds, raised the great storm, just at the time when
the wanderers, after leaving Drepanum, were about
to direct their course towards the destined Hes-
perian land. For though ^Eneas and his com-

[52]

panions, following the advice of Helenus, had
offered prayers and sacrifices to the haughty god-
dess, still her anger was not appeased. She could
not forget the judgment of Paris, or the prophecy
that through the Trojan race was to come destruc-
tion on the city she loved. And so when she saw
the ships of ^Eneas sailing towards the Italian coast,
she gave vent to her anger in bitter words. " Must
I then," said she, "desist from my purpose? Am I,
the queen of heaven, not able to prevent the
Trojans from establishing their kingdom in Italy?
Who then will hereafter worship Juno or offer
sacrifices on her altars?' With such thoughts in-

flaming her breast, the goddess hastened to y^E-o'lia,
the home of storms where dwelt /Eolus, king of the
winds. y^Eolia was one of the ancient names of the
islands between Italy and Sicily, now known as
the Lipari Islands. In a vast cave, in one of those
islands king /Eolus held the winds imprisoned and
controlled their fury lest they should destroy the
world — •

In a spacious cave of living stone,
The tyrant v^Eolus, from his airy throne,
With power imperial curbs the struggling winds,
And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds:
High in his hall the undaunted monarch stands,
And shakes his sceptre, and their rage commands;

Which did he not, their unresisted sway

Would sweep the world before them in their way;

Earth, air, and seas, through empty space would roll,

And heaven would fly before the driving soul.

In fear of this, the father of the gods

Confined their fury to those dark abodes,

And locked them safe within, oppressed with mountain loads;

Imposed a king with arbitrary sway,

To loose their fetters, or their force allay.

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK I.

To this great king Juno appealed, begging him to
send forth his storms against the ships of /Eneas,
and she promised to reward him by giving him in
marriage the fair De-i-o-pe'a, most beautiful of all the
nymphs or maids in her heavenly train of attend-
ants. /Eolus promptly replied saying that he was
ready to obey the queen of heaven. " ' Tis for you,
O queen, to command and for me to execute your
will."

Then /Eolus struck the side of the cavern with
his mighty scepter, whereupon the rock flew open
and the winds rushed furiously forth. In an instant
a terrific hurricane swept over land and sea. The
lightning flashed, the thunder pealed, and the waves
rolled mountain high around the Trojan fleet.

All in a moment sun and skies
Are blotted from the Trojans' eyes;
Black night is brooding o'er the deep,

Sharp thunder peals, live lightnings leap;
The stoutest warrior holds his breath,
And looks as on the face of death.

CONINGTON, JEneid, BOOK 1

Filled with terror, /Eneas bewailed his unhappy
fate, and lamented that it had not been his lot to fall
with those

Who died at Troy like valiant men
E'en in their parents' view.

But the storm increased in fury. Three of his
ships were dashed against hidden rocks, while before
his eyes one went down with all its crew.

And here and there above the waves were seen
Arms, pictures, precious goods and floating men.

DRYDEN, ^nezdt BOOK I.

Meantime the roaring of wind and waves had
reached the ears of Neptune, in his coral palace
beneath the sea. Neptune was one of the gods who
were friendly to /Eneas, and so when he raised his
head above the waters, and beheld the ships scat-
tered about and the hero himself in deep distress,
the ocean king was very angry. Instantly he sum-
moned the winds before him, and sternly rebuked
them for daring to cause such disturbance in his
dominions without his authority. Then he ordered

them to depart forthwith to their caverns, and tell

their master that not to him belonged the kingdom
of the sea.

" Back to your master instant flee,
And tell him, not to him but me
The imperial trident of the sea
Fell by the lot's award."

CONINGTON, JEneid^ BOOK I.

It was by lot that the empire of the universe had
been divided among the three brothers Jupiter,
Neptune and Pluto, the kingdom of the ocean falling
to Neptune, the heavens to Jupiter and the "lower
regions " or regions of the dead to Pluto. Neptune,
therefore, had full power within his own dominion,
and so the winds had to retire at his command
Then immediately the sea became calm and still,
and ^neas with seven ships — all that he could
find of his fleet- - sailed for the African coast, which
was the nearest land, the storm having driven them
far out of their course. Soon discovering a suitable
harbor, deep in a bay, with high rocks on each side
at the entrance, the tempest-tossed Trojans gladly
put ashore, and lighting a fire on the beach, they
prepared a meal of parched corn, which they ground
with stones.

Meanwhile /Eneas climbed a rock and looked
out over the sea hoping to catch sight of some of
the lost vessels. He was accompanied by his

armor-bearer A-cha'tes, who was so devoted to his
chief that the name is often used to signify a very
faithful friend. But they could see none of the
missing ships and so they returned to their com-
panions. Then /Eneas delivered an address to his
people, bidding them be of good cheer, and remind-
ing them of the decree of heaven that they should
have a peaceful settlement in La'ti-um- -that fair
Italian land, to which the gods would surely guide
them in due time.

" Comrades and friends! for ours is strength

Has brooked the test of woes;
O worse-scarred hearts! these wounds at length

The gods will heal, like those.
You that have seen grim Scylla rave,

And heard her monsters yell,
You that have looked upon the cave

Where savage Cyclops dwell,
Come, cheer your souls, your fears forget;
This suffering will yield us yet

A pleasant tale to tell.

Through chance, through peril lies our way
To Latium, where the fates display
A mansion of abiding stay;
There Troy her fallen realm shall raise;
Bear up and live for happier days."

CONINGTON, sEncid, BOOK I.

It is not to be supposed that all this time the
goddess Venus was forgetful of the sufferings of her

son. Even while /Eneas was thus speaking to .his
fellow wanderers she was pleading his cause before
the throne of Jupiter himself on the top of Mount
Olympus. " What offence, O king of heaven," said
she, "has my /Eneas committed? How have the
Trojans offended? What is to be the end of their
sufferings? Are they to be forever persecuted on
account of the anger of one goddess ? '

To this appeal the king of the gods answered assur-
ing Venus that the promises made to the Trojan
exiles should all be fulfilled. /Eneas, he said, should
make war against fierce tribes in Italy, and conquer
them, and rule in La-vin'i-um. After him his son
lulus should reign for thirty years, and build a city
to be called Alba Lon^a, where his descendants would

hold sovereign power for three hundred years. Then
from the same race should come Rom'u-lus, who
would found the city Rome, which would in time
conquer Greece and rule the world.

" The people Romans call, the city Rome
To them no bounds of empire I assign,
Nor term of years to their immortal line,
E'en haughty Juno, who, with endless broils,
Earth, seas, and heaven, and Jove himself turmoils,
At length atoned, her friendly power shall join,
To cherish and advance the Trojan line.
An age is ripening in revolving fate,
When Troy shall overturn the Grecian state,

And sweet revenge her conquering sons shall call
To crush the people that conspired her fall,
Then Caesar from the Julian stock shall rise,
Whose empire ocean, and whose fame the skies
Alone shall bound."

DRYDEN, JEneid^ BOOK I.

Thus did the king of heaven prophesy the future
greatness and power of the Julian line. Then he
sent Mercury, the messenger of the gods, down to
earth to bid the queen of Carthage and her people
give a hospitable reception to the Trojans, for it was
near that city, on the Li'by-an shore, that they had
landed after the storm. Venus herself, too, came
down from Olympus, and, in the garb of a huntress,
appeared to her son and the faithful Achates, as
they were exploring the coast to find out what land
it was, and by what people possessed. She did not
make herself known to them, but inquired if they
had seen one of her sisters who had strayed away
from her. ^neas answered: "None of your sis-
ters have we seen, O virgin, or shall we call you
goddess, for such you seem to be? Whoever you
are, graciously relieve our anxiety by informing us
what country this is into which unkind fortune has
driven us.

" Instruct us 'neath what sky at last,
Upon what shore our lot is cast;

We wander here by tempest blown,
The people and the place unknown."

CONINGTON, /Eneid, BOOK 1

To these inquiries Venus, still maintaining her
disguise, replied by telling the Trojan heroes the
story of Cart]iage and Queen Dido. This famous
woman was the daughter of Be'lus, king of Tyre, a city
of Phce-nic'i-a, in Asia Minor. She married a wealthy
Tyrian lord named Si-chae'us. On her father's death,
her brother Pyg-ma'li-on became king of Tyre. He
was a cruel and avaricious tyrant, and in order to get
possession of his brother-in-law's riches, he had him
put to death, concealing the crime from his sister by
many false tales. But in a dream the ghost of Si-
chaeus appeared to Dido and told her of the wicked
deed of Pygmalion. He at the same time advised
her to fly from the country with all speed, and he
informed her of the place where he had hidden his
treasures — a large sum in gold and silver, which he
bade her take to help her in her flight.

Dido therefore got together a number of ships,
and put to sea accompanied by a number of her
countrymen who hated the cruel tyrant. They sailed
to the coast of Africa and landed in Libya, where
they purchased from the inhabitants as much ground
as could be encompassed by a bull's hide cut into
thongs. Then they commenced to build a city which

they called Carthage, and even now they were en-
gaged in raising its walls.

Such was the story of Dido which Venus related
to /Eneas and Achates. Having concluded, she in-
quired in her turn who they were, from what country
they had come, and whither they were going. In
reply /Eneas gave a brief account of his wanderings
since the fall of Troy. Then the goddess directed
him to go into the city and present himself before
the queen, and she pointed to an augury in the sky-
tw.elve swans flying above their heads — which, she
said, was a sign that the ships they had supposed
to be lost were at that moment sailing into the
harbor.

So saying Venus turned to leave them, when sud-
denly a marvelous change took place in her dress
and appearance, so that /Eneas knew she was his
mother, and he cried to her to permit him to touch her
hand and speak with her as her son. The goddess,
however, made no answer, but she cast over /Eneas
and his companion a thick veil of cloud so that no
one might see or molest them on their way. Thus
rendered invisible, they went towards the city.
When they reached it they found a great many
men at work, some finishing the walls, others erect-
ing crreat buildings of various kinds. In the center

O CT O

of the town was a magnificent temple of Juno.

Enriched with gifts, and with a golden shrine;
But more the goddess made the place divine.
On brazen steps the marble threshold rose,
And brazen plates the cedar beams enclose;
The rafters are with brazen coverings crowned;
The lofty doors on brazen hinges sound.

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK I

Entering this temple, /Eneas was astonished to
find the walls covered with paintings representing
scenes of the Trojan war.

He saw, in order painted on the wall,

Whatever did unhappy Troy befall;

The wars that fame around the world had blown,

All to the life, and every leader known.

He stopped, and weeping said: "O friend! e'en here!

The monuments of Trojan woes appear! '

DRYDEN, JEneid^ BOOK I.

Amongst the pictures, /Eneas recognized one of
himself performing deeds of valor in the thick of the
fight. While he and his companion, both still in-
visible, were gazing with admiration upon those
scenes Queen Dido came into the temple, attended
by a numerous train of warriors, and took her seat
upon a high-raised throne. Presently there appeared
a number of Trojans advancing towards the queen,
and /Eneas rejoiced to see that they were some of his
own people belonging to the ships that had been sepa-
rated from him during the storm. They had been cast

ashore on a different part of the coast, and not hear-
ing of the safe arrival of ^Eneas, they were now come
to beg the help and protection of Dido. Having
heard their story, which Il-i'o-neus, one of their num-
ber, briefly related, the queen bade them dismiss
their fears, promising that she would give them
whatever assistance they needed, and send out mes-
sengers to search the Libyan coasts for their leader
^Eneas. But at this point the mist that encompassed
^Eneas and his companion suddenly vanished and
the hero stood forth, beheld by all, his face resemb-
ling that of a god.

The Trojan chief appeared in open sight

August in visage, and serenely bright.

His mother-goddess, with her hands divine,

Had formed his curling locks, and made his temples shine,

And given his rolling eyes a sparkling grace,

And breathed a youthful vigor on his face.

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK I.

^Eneas now made himself known to the queen
and thanked her for her kindness to his people.
Dido was astonished at the sudden appearance of
the hero, of whom she had already heard much.
Her father, Belus, she said, had told her of the fall
of Troy and of the name of /Eneas, and having her-
self suffered many misfortunes, she had learned to
have pity for the distressed.

" For I myself, like you, have been distressed,
Till heaven afforded me this place of rest;
Like you, an alien in a land unknown,
I learn to pity woes so like my own."

DRVDEN, sEneid, BOOK 1

Then she invited the hero into the royal apart-
ments where a grand banquet was prepared in his
honor. She also caused a supply of provisions to be
taken to his people on the shore- -twenty oxen, a
hundred swine, and a hundred fat lambs. Mean-
while /Eneas sent Achates to brine: his son Ascanius

to the city, bidding him at the same time to take
with him presents for the queen, costly and beauti-
ful things that had been saved from the ruins of

Troy — a mantle embroidered with gold, a scepter
which had belonged to I-li'o-ne, King Priam's daugh-
ter, and a necklace strung with pearls.

At the banquet Queen Dido sat on a golden couch,
surrounded by the Trojan chiefs and her Tyrian lords.
By her side was seated the handsome youth whom
Achates had brought from the ships as the son of
/Eneas. Dido admired the beautiful boy and fondled
him in her arms little thinking that it was Cupid, the
god of love, whom Venus had sent to the banquet
under the appearance of lulus.

Unhappy Dido little thought what guest,
How dire a god she drew so near her breast.

DRVDEN, SEneid, BOOK I.

STO. OK ^NEAS — 5

The real Ascanius meantime lay in peaceful slum-
ber in a sacred grove in the island of Cyprus, to which
Venus had borne him away.

Lulled in her lap, amidst a train of Loves,
She gently bears him to her blissful groves;
Then with a wreath of myrtle crowns his head,
And softly lays him on a flowery bed.

DRVDEN, /Eneid, BOOK I.

And so Queen Dido entertained the chiefs of Troy
and of Carthage, with the Q-od of love seated beside

O c)

her on her golden couch. A hundred maids and as
many pages attended upon the guests. After the
viands were removed, I-o'pas, the Tyrian minstrel
and poet, played upon his gilded lyre, and sang about
the wondrous things in the heavens and on earth.

The various labors of the wandering moon,
And whence proceed the eclipses of the sun;
The original of men and beasts; and whence
The rains arise, and fires their warmth dispense;
What shakes the solid earth; what cause delays
The summer nights, and shortens winter days.

DKVDEN, s£neid< BOOK I.

The song of lopas was applauded by the entire
assemblage. Then Oueen Dido after asking ^Eneas

o •«-' <-J

many questions about Priam and Hector, and Achil-
les, and Memnon, and Diomede and other heroes of
the Trojan war, begged him to tell the whole story from

the beginning. "Come, my guest," said she, "relate
to us from the very first the stratagems of the Greeks,
the adventures of your friends, and your own wan-
derings."

It was in compliance with this request that /Eneas,
as has been said, recounted the history (already given)
of the ruin of Troy, and of his own misfortunes, com-
mencing with the artifice of' the wooden horse, and
ending with the storm which drove his ships upon
the Carthaginian coast. The events of the story
extended over a period of seven years, for it was now
that length of time since the fatal "peace offering"
brought destruction on the city of Priam.

IV. DIDO'S LOVE — THE FUNERAL GAMES-
SHIPS BURNED BY THE WOMEN.

QUEEN DIDO was much interested in the story told
by ^neas, but more so in the hero himself. His
many virtures, the honors and glories of his race,
made a strong impression on her mind ; his looks and
words were imprinted on her heart. In short, the
Carthaginian queen was in love with the Trojan
prince. She confided her secret to her sister Anna,
and she said that if she had not vowed, on the death
of her dear husband Sichaeus, never again to unite
with any one in the bond of marriage, she might
think of giving her hand to her noble guest.

Sister Anna knew that such a marriage wrould
be a great advantage to Carthage, which might
need brave defenders like the Trojans, since there
were many warlike princes in that part of Africa,
who might some time attack the new city. And if
the Trojan arms were joined to those of Carthage,
both would be strong enough to resist the most pow-
erful enemy, and the new kingdom would become

[68]

great and flourishing. "Let us therefore," said she,
" pray to the gods for help and at the same time en-
deavor by all means to detain our Trojan guests as
long as possible upon our shore."

The queen listened to her sister's advice with
pleasure, more especially as it was in accord with her
own feelings. Her scruples about a second marriage
soon vanished, and so she continued to entertain the
Trojans and their chief with princely hospitality.

And now she leads the Trojan chief along
The lofty walls, amidst the busy throng;
Displays her Tyrian wealth, and rising town,
Which love, without his labor makes his own.
This pomp she shows, to tempt her wandering guest:
Her faltering tongue forbids to speak the rest.
When day declines and feasts renew the night,
Still on his face she feeds her famished sight;
She longs again to hear the prince relate
His own adventures, and the Trojan fate.
He tells it o'er and o'er; but still in vain;
For still she begs to hear it once again.

DRYDEN, /Eneid^ BOOK IV

Meanwhile the goddess Juno, watching the course
of events, also saw the advantage, to her favorite city,
of a union with the Trojan chief. If he and his
people, she thought, could be persuaded to settle in
Carthage, that city and not the long talked of Rome,
would come to be the center of power and the ruler

of the world. She therefore proposed to Venus a
treaty of " eternal peace " on the condition of a mar-
riage between /Eneas and Dido.

"Your Trojan with my Tyrian let us join;
So Dido shall be yours, ^Eneas mine —
One common kingdom, one united line."

DRYDEN, ^Sneid^ BOOK IV.

Venus was not at 'all deceived by this plausible
speech. She well understood the motive and pur-
pose of Juno to secure future power and glory for
Carthage and divert from Rome the empire of the
world, nevertheless she answered in mild words say-
ing, " Who could be so foolish as to reject such an
alliance, and prefer to be at war with the queen of
heaven ? Yet there is a difficulty. I do not know
whether it is the pleasure of Jupiter that the Tyrians
and Trojans should dwell together in one city. Will
he approve the union of the two nations ? Perhaps,
however, you, who are his wife, may be able to induce
him to do so. It is for you, then, to lead the way,
and where you lead T shall follow."

But another obstacle stood in the way of Juno's
proposed alliance. There was at that time a cer-
tain African king named I-ar'bas, a very important
personage, for he was a son of Jupiter. It was from
him that Dido when she first came to Libya had
bought the ground to build her city. Now larbas

wished to have Dido for his wife, and he had asked
her to marry him, but she had refused. Great was
his anger, therefore, when he heard that the Trojan
chief had been received and honored in Carthage
and that a marriage between him and the queen was
talked of as a certain tiling. So he went to the

temple of his father Jupiter, and complained bit-
terly of the conduct of Dido in rejecting himself
and taking a foreign prince into her kingdom to be
its ruler. The king of heaven, naturally enough
sympathising with his son, gave ear to his complaint
and he forthwith dispatched Mercury with a mes-
sage to /Eneas, bidding him to depart instantly
from Carthage. This command the swift-winged

o 0

god, having sped down from Olympus, and sought
out the Trojan hero, delivered in impressive \vords.

" All powerful Jove

Who sways the world below and heaven above,
Has sent me down with this severe command :
What means thy lingering in the Libyan land ?
If glory cannot move a mind so mean,
Nor future praise from flitting pleasure wean,
Regard the fortunes of thy rising heir :
The promised crown let young Ascanius wear,
To whom the Ausonian sceptre, and the state
Of Rome's imperial name, is owed by fate."

DKVDF.N. Mneid. BOOK IV.

The command filled /Eneas with astonishment

and fear. He knew that he must obey, but how
could he break the intelligence to Dido, or what
excuse could he offer for so sudden a departure ?

What should he say, or how should he begin ?
What course alas ! remains, to steer between
The offended lover and the powerful queen.

DRYDEN, sEneid BOOK IV.

There being, however, no middle course, /Eneas
directed his chiefs to get ready the ships, call to-
gether the crews, and prepare their arms, and to do
all as quietly and secretly as possible. Meanwhile
he himself would watch for a favorable opportunity
of obtaining the queen's consent to their departure.

Himself, meantime, the softest hours would choose,
Before the love-sick lady heard the news,
And move her tender mind, by slow degrees
To suffer what the sovereign power decrees.

DRYDEN, SEneid, BOOK IV.

But Diclo soon discovered what the Trojans were
about, and she sent for y^neas and reproached him
in angry words for his deception and ingratitude.
Then her anger gave way to grief and tears, and
she implored him to alter his resolution, declaring
that if he would thus suddenly leave her she must
surely die. /Eneas was in deep distress at the spec-
tacle of the sorrowing queen, yet he dared not yield
to her entreaties, since it was the decree of the fates

and the command of Jupiter that he should remain
no Ion ore r in Carthage.

o o

The Trojans therefore hastened their preparations
and were soon ready to set sail; but there came an-
other warning conveyed to them by the god Mer-
cury, who, while /Eneas was asleep in his ship, ap-
peared to him in a dream, bidding him to speed
away that very night, for if he waited until morning
he would find the harbor filled with queen Dido's
fleet to prevent his departure. Starting from his
couch /Eneas quickly roused his companions and
gave the order for instantly putting to sea.

" Haste to your oars ! your crooked anchors weigh,
And speed your flying sails, and stand to sea !
A god commands ! he stood before my sight,
And urged me once again to speedy flight."

DRYDEN, Mneid^ BOOK IV.

Promptly the order of the chief was obeyed,
and .soon the Trojan vessels were sailing away
from the city of Dido. And at dawn of morning
the unhappy queen, looking forth from her watch
tower, beheld them far out at sea. Then she
prayed that there might be eternal enmity between
the descendants of /Eneas and the people of
Carthaore, and that a man would come of her

nation who would persecute the Trojan race with
fire and sword.

'* These are my prayers, and this my dying will ;

And you, my Tyrians, every curse fulfill :

Perpetual hate and mortal wars proclaim

Against the prince, the people, and the name.

These grateful offerings on my grave bestow ;

Nor league, nor love, the hostile nations know !

Now and from hence in every future age,

When rage excites your arms, and strength supplies the

rage,

Rise some avenger of our Libyan blood ;
With fire and sword pursue the perjured brood :
Our arms, our seas, our shores, opposed to theirs ;
And the same hate descend on all our heirs ! "

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK IV.

Vergil thus makes Dido prophesy the long con-
flict between Rome and Carthage, (known as the
Punic wars) and the achievements of the famous
Carthaginian general, Han'ni-bal, who carried the
war into the heart of Italy (218 B. c.) and defeated
the Romans in several great battles.

In her grief at the departure of /Eneas, the un-
happy queen resolved to put an end to her life.
She bade her servants erect in the inner court yard
of her palace a lofty pile of wood, called a funeral
pyre, and upon it to place an image of /Eneas as
well as the arms he had left behind him. Then
mounting the pyre, to which flaming torches had

C7 A J <T7

been applied, she stabbed herself with her false
lover's sword, and so died.

The Trojans from their ships, saw the smoke and
flame ascending from the palace of Dido. They
knew not the cause, yet /Eneas, suspecting what
had happened, deeply lamented the fate of the un-
happy queen.

The cause unknown ; yet his presaging mind
The fate of Dido from the fire divined.
Dire auguries from hence the Trojans draw ;
Till neither fires nor shining shores they saw.

DRYDEN, JEneid^ BOOK IV.

The fleet was no sooner out of sight of the Lib-
yan coast than the pilot Palinurus observed signs
of a storm. He proposed, therefore, that they
should make for the Sicilian shore, which was not
far distant. /Eneas gladly consented, for he wished
to stand again upon the spot where his father's
bones were laid. Moreover the good king A-ces'tes,
who ruled in that part of the island, was a Trojan
by descent, and he had hospitably received the wan-
derers on their former visit. They, therefore, turned
the prows of their galleys towards Sicily, and soon
reached Drepanum, where they were met and wel-
comed by Acestes, who from a hill top had seen
their vessels approaching the shore.

Next day /Eneas, accompanied by king Acestes.
and a great multitude of people, proceeded to the
grave of Anchises where they erected altars, and

according to the custom of the times, poured wine
and milk on the ground, as an offering to the gods.
Fresh flowers were then scattered on the tomb.
While these ceremonies were being performed all
present were startled by the appearance of a huge
serpent with scales of golden hue, which suddenly
glided from beneath the tomb, trailed among the
bowls or oroblets containing the wine and milk,

o o

tasted slightly of the contents, and then returned
into the vault.

Betwixt the rising altars, and around,
The sacred monster shot along the ground ;
With harmless play amidst the bowls he passed,
And with his lolling tongue assayed the taste :
Thus fed with holy food, the wondrous guest
Within the hollow tomb retired to rest.

DKYDEN. /Eneid, BOOK V.

/Eneas believed that this serpent was an attend-
ant on the shade of Anchises. He supposed, there-
fore, that his father was now elevated to the dignity
of a god, for most of the gods had inferior deities
assigned to them as ministers or messengers.

Besides the sacrifices and other ceremonies at the
tomb, there were games and athletic exercises in
honor of Anchises, this also being one of the cus-
toms of the ancients in paying tribute to the mem-
ory of their dead heroes. The principal event in

the games was a ship race in which the most skilful
of the Trojan mariners took part. In this contest
Mnes'theus with a ship named Pristis, and Clo-an'-
thus commanding the Scylla performed wonderful
feats of seamanship. So equally were they matched
and so well did they manage their vessels that both
would probably have reached the goal or winning
post together, had it not been for the interference
of the o;ods. The goal was a branch of an oak tree

o o

fixed to a small rock in the bay facing the beach
on which the spectators were assembled. As the
Scylla was approaching the rock on the home run,
the Pristis, which had been pressing close behind,
shot alongside, and was almost beak to beak with

its competitor. Then Cloanthus stretching forth
his arms to heaven, prayed the gods of the sea
to help him at that critical moment, promising
that he would offer sacrifices of thanksgiving on
their altars, if he should win the race. His prayer
was quickly heard. From their palaces in the deep,
the Ne-re'ids, Neptune's band of attendants and
assistants, rushed to his aid, and with his mighty
hand Por-tu'nus. the £od of harbors, coming be-

O C5

hind the Scylla, pushed the vessel along, speeding
her forward more swiftly than the wind.

And old Portunus with his breadth of hand,
Pushed on and sped the galley to the land,

Swift as a shaft, or winged wind, she flies,
And darting to the port, obtains the prize.

DRVDEN, ALneid^ BOOK V.

Cloanthus was declared victor and received the
first prize — a rich mantle embroidered in gold.
The second prize was given to Mnestheus, and
suitable rewards were also bestowed on the crews.

After the ship race /Eneas and the vast multi-
tude of Trojans and Sicilians proceeded to a grassy
plain not far from the shore where the other games
were held. The first was a foot race in which a
large number took part. Among them were
Eu-ry'a-lus and Ni'sus, Trojan youths famed for
their mutual friendship, and Di-o'res, a young
prince of Priam's royal line. Among the Sicilian
competitors were Sa'li-us and Patron, and two
young men, El'y-mus and Pan'o-pes, companions of
King Acestes.

The signal having been given, the racers darted
off like lightning. Nisus quickly took the lead
springing far away ahead of the rest. Next,
but at a lonor distance came Salius, and after him

Euryalus, followed by Elymus, with Diores close
by his side. Nisus would have reached the goal
first, but just as he was approaching it, he lost his
foothold at a slippery spot on the course, and fell
headlong upon the ground. Seeing then that it

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(79)

was not possible for him to win, he thought of his
friend Euryalus, and rising from the ground he
set himself right in the way of Salius who was
rushing forward.

E'en then affection claims its part;
Euryalus is in his heart;
Uprising from the sodden clay,
He casts himself in Salius' way,
And Salius tripped and sprawling lay.

CONINGTON, sEneid, BOOK V.

This gave the victory to Euryalus, but Salius
protested against the foul play by which he had
been defeated, and claimed that he was entitled to
the first prize. /Eneas, however, decided that the
prize should go to him who had actually reached
the goal first. Nevertheless, he gave Salius a lion's
hide, heavy with shaggy fur and gilt claws. Nisus,
too, claimed a reward, and /Eneas sympathising
with his misfortune, presented to him a shield of
beautiful workmanship, which had been taken from
the pillars of Neptune's temple in the city of Troy.

Games of boxing and archery — shooting with
bows and arrows — came next. In the latter con-
test, king Acestes and Mnestheus took part. The
other competitors were Eu-ry'ti-on and Hip-poc'o-on,
For a mark to shoot at, they tied a pigeon to the
top of a tall mast set firmly in the ground. Hip

pocoon won the first chance in the drawing of lots.
His arrow struck the mast with such force that it
fixed itself in the wood. The arrow of Mnestheus
broke the cord by which the pigeon was attached to
the mast, and as she flew off, Eurytion discharged
his shaft with so true an aim that it killed the bird.
Acestes, who had drawn the last lot, now fired,
though there was nothing to shoot at, but his arrow

o o

as it winged its way high into the air, presented to
the spectators a marvelous sight.

E'en in the mid expanse of skies
The arrow kindles as it flies,

' s

Behind it draws a fiery glare,
Then wasting, vanishes in air.

CONJNGTON, SEneid, BOOK V.

y^Eneas interpreted this wonderful event as a sign
of the will of the gods that Acestes should receive
the honors of victory, and so he presented to him a
goblet embossed in gold, which had belonged to
his father Anchises. But prizes were given to Eury-
tion also and to the other archers. Then followed
the last of the games of the day, a grand exhibition
of horsemanship, in which a number of the Trojan
youth, — chief amongst them the boy lulus, — took
the leading part.

Thus did /Eneas pay honor to his father's
memory. Meantime the unrelenting Juno was

STO. OF .-ENEAS — 6

devising schemes to prevent the hero and his com-
panions from reaching their promised land. With
this object she sent her messenger I'ris down to the
Trojan women, who sat together on the shore while
the men were assembled at their games, for at these
exercises females were not allowed to be spectators.
As the women sat on the beach, looking out upon
the sea, they thought and talked of the hardships
they had endured during their long wanderings,
and lamented their wretched lot in having still so

much to suffer before they could find permanent
homes to settle in.

"Alas! (said one) what oceans yet remain

For us to sail! what labors to sustain! '

All take the word, and, with a general groan

Implore the gods for peace, and places of their own.

DRYDEN, SEneid, BOOK V.

Iris joined in these complaints, and they thought
she was one of themselves, for she had assumed the
appearance and dress of a Trojan, and pretended to
be Ber'o-e, a Trojan woman who was just then on
a sick bed in her own chamber. " Unhappy are
we," cried the false Beroe ; " far better for us would
it have been if we had died by the hands of the
Greeks before the walls of our native city! What
miserable doom does fortune reserve for us ? The
seventh year since the destruction of Troy has

already passed, and yet, after having wandered over
so many lands and seas, we still pursue an ever-
fleeing Italy; and we are tossed on the waves.
Why should we not settle here in Sicily? Come
then and let us burn those cursed ships. For in
my sleep the prophetess Cassandra seemed to pre-
sent me with flaming brands and to say, 'Seek here
for a new Troy, here is your home.' Therefore
let there be no further delay. Now is the time for
action."

With these words she seized a brand from a fire
on an altar close by, and hurled it towards the ships.
But at this point one of the \vomen, Pyr'go by
name, who had just then joined the party, discov-
ered that it was not Beroe who had been speaking,
for she recognized in the eyes and voice and gait,
the resemblance of a goddess.

" No Beroe, matrons, have you here,
See, breathing in her face appear

Signs of celestial life;
Observe her eyes, how bright they shine;
Mien, accent, walk are all divine.
Beroe herself I left but now
Sick and outworn, with clouded brow,
That she alone should fail to pay
Due reverence to Anchises' day."

CONINGTOK, ^neid, BOOK V

As Pyrgo ceased -speaking, Iris, assuming her

own form, mounted into the sky. Then the Trojan
women, astonished at what they had seen, and
excited almost to madness, cried out with a loud
voice, and, seizing brands from the altars, they
rushed to the ships.

They shriek aloud; they snatch with impious hands
The food of altars; firs and flaming brands,
Green boughs and saplings, mingled in their haste,
And smoking torches, on the ships they cast.

DRYDEN, JEneid, BOOK V.

The ships were now on fire and the alarm quickly
reaching the men, they rushed to the shore and
endeavored to subdue the flames, while the women
already regretting their folly, fled in terror from the
scene. But in spite of the efforts of the men the
fire rapidly spread, and it seemed as if the entire
Trojan fleet was doomed to destruction. Then the
pious /Eneas, with upraised hands, prayed to Jupiter
for help, and immediately there came a great rain-
storm, and the water descended in torrents, until
every spark was extinguished. Four of the ships,
however, were destroyed.

/Eneas was much distressed by this misfortune,
and he began to think that it might be better, even in

O <J

disregard of the fates, and the prophecies, to remain
in Sicily, than to make any further attempt to reach
the promised Italian land. But one of his people,

an old and a very wise man, named Nau'tes, strongly
urged that the will of the gods ought to be obeyed.
As to those who were weary of the enterprise — the
aged, the feeble, and such of the women as were
not willing to undergo further fatigues at sea — he

o o o

advised that they should be left under the protec-
tion of Acestes, who, being himself of Trojan blood,
would doubtless grant them a settlement in his
kingdom.

"Your friend Acestes is of Trojan kind;
To him disclose the secrets of your mind;
Here you may build a common town for all,
And, from Acestes' name, Acesta call."

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK V.

While /Eneas was still in doubt what course to
pursue, his father appeared to him in a dream and
bade him do as Nautes had advised. Acestes will-
ingly consented, and so a Trojan colony was
formed in Sicily, and /Eneas marked out with a
plow the boundaries of the new city, which he
called after the king's name. Soon afterwards
preparations for departure were made, and /Eneas
set sail, accompanied by all of his people who were
still willing to follow his fortunes, and strong
enough to endure further toils and hardships.

They had a safe voyage to Italy, for Venus had

j J O J

entreated Neptune to protect her son and his fleet.

The god of the ocean was favorable, and he
promised to take care that the Trojans should reach
their destination in safety. But there was to be
one exception. " One life," he said, " shall be given
for many." The victim was the famous pilot Pali-
nurus, and the poet tells us that his fate was brought
about by the action of Som'nus, the god of sleep.

This god taking upon himself the likeness of
Phor'bas, one of the sons of Priam, who was killed
during the Trojan war, appeared to Palinurus
during one of the watches of the night, and tried to
persuade him to lie down and sleep, while he himself
would stand at the helm and steer the ship. But
Palinurus refused to quit his post. Then the treach-
erous god waved before his eyes a branch that had
been dipped in the Stygian Le'the, the fabled river
of forgetfulness, and soon the pilot dropped off into
a deep slumber, during which Somnus leaning
heavily upon him, plunged him headlong into the
waves.

/Eneas was deeply grieved at the loss of his faith-
ful pilot He himself took charge of the ship, and
the whole fleet, secure under the protection of Nep-
tune, reached the Italian coast without further
mishap.

V, THE SIBYL OF CUM^ — THE GOLDEN

BOUGH — IN THE REGIONS OF

THE DEAD.

was now in Italy, but not in the part of
it where the destined city was to be founded. The
prophet, Helenus, as we have seen, had directed him
that when he reached the Hesperian land he should
visit the Cu-mae'an Sibyl, and learn from her what
difficulties he was yet to encounter, and how to over-
come them. Cumae, where the Sibyl dwelt, was on
the coast of Cam-pa'ni-a, and to this place, therefore,
^Eneas directed his course after leaving Sicily.
Having safely landed, the hero lost no time in
making his way to the temple of Apollo, for in a
cave adjoining this temple and communicating
with it by a hundred doors and as many avenues
or corridors, the Sibyl gave her answers.

There were many sibyls in ancient times. The
most celebrated was the Sibyl of Cumae. She had
several names, but the one adopted by Vergil is
De-iph'o-be. Apollo once fell in love with this Sibyl

and he promised to give her whatever she should

[87]

ask if she would marry him. Deiphobe asked to
live as many years as she had grains of sand in her
hand at the time. She forgot, however, to ask for
the continuance of health and youth, of which she
was then in possession. Apollo granted her request
but she refused to- perform her part of the bargain,
and soon afterwards she became aged and feeble.
She had already lived seven hundred years when
/Eneas came into Italy, and she had three cen-
turies more to live before her years would be as
numerous as the grains of sand which she had
held in her hand.

As /Eneas with several of his companions ap-
proached the cave, they were met at the outer
entrance by the Sibyl herself. Then the Trojan
hero, after a prayer to Apollo, begged the good will
of the prophetess that her answers might be favor-
able to him and his people.

"And thou, O sacred maid, inspired to see
The event of things in dark futurity !
Give me, what heaven has promised to my fate,
To conquer and command the Latian state ;
To fix my wandering gods, and find a place
For the long exiles of the Trojan race."

DRYDEN, s3Lneid< BOOK VI.

Nor did /Eneas forget to beg the Sibyl, as Hel-
enus had directed him, to give her revelations by

word of mouth, and not on leaves of trees, as was
her custom.

"But, oh ! commit not thy prophetic mind
To flitting leaves, the sport of every wind,
Lest they disperse in air our empty fate ;
Write not, but, what the powers ordain, relate."

DRYDEN /Eneid, BOOK VI.

The Sibyl graciously consented, and then the
spirit of prophecy having moved her, she told
/Eneas of the dangers that yet lay before him, dan-
gers far more formidable than any he had hitherto
encountered.

" Escaped the dangers of the watery reign,
Yet more and greater ills by land remain.
The coast so long desired (nor doubt the event),
Thy troops shall reach, but, having reached, repent.
Wars ! horrid wars, I view !--a field of blood,
And Tiber rolling with a purple flood."

DRYDEN, SEneid, BOOK VI.

But /Eneas was not discouraged by this terrible
prophecy. He was ready, he said, to meet the
worst that could come, and now he was about to
undertake an enterprise more arduous than any the
soothsayers had told him of. This was a descent
into the regions of Pluto — the land of the dead —

to visit the shade of his father, who in a dream had
requested him to do so, telling him that the Cumaean

Sibyl would be his guide, for the entrance to the
Lower World was near Lake A-ver'nus, not far
from the cave of the prophetess.

/Eneas, therefore, entreated the Sibyl to consent
to be his conductor that so he might comply with
his father's wish. In reply to this request the
prophetess warned the Trojan chief that the under-
taking was one of great danger. The descent into
the kingdom of Pluto, she said, was easy, but, to
return to the upper world — that was a task diffi-
cult for mortals to accomplish. Few there were who
had entered the gloomy realms of Dis, to whom it
had been permitted ever to retrace their steps.

"The journey down to the abyss

Is prosperous and light;
The palace-gates of gloomy Dis

Stand open day and night ;
But upward to retrace the way
And pass into the light of day,
There comes the stress of labor ; this

May task a hero's might."

CONINGTON, jQLneid^ BOOK VL

Nevertheless if /Eneas were still determined on
this perilous journey she was willing to aid him and
be his guide. But one thing, she said, must first be
done. In the woods around the cave was a tree on
which grew a bough with leaves and twigs of gold,

No mortal could enter Hades without this bough to
present to Pro-ser'pi-na, the queen of Pluto. When
the bough was torn off, a second, also of gold, imme-
diately sprung up. It had to be sought for diligently,
and when discovered it had to be grasped firmly
with the hand. If the fates should be favorable to
the enterprise, the bough could be plucked easily;
otherwise, the strength of man could not tear it
from the tree, nor could it be lopped off even with
the sharpest sword.

Here was a formidable difficulty. How was
y^neas to find out the wonderful tree ? The Sibyl
told him only that it was in the woods, and the
searching might be long and fruitless. But again
his never-failing friend came to his aid. While he

was searching the wood with some of his companions,
two doves suddenly appeared, and alighted on the
ground before them. /Eneas knew that they had
come from his goddess-mother, the dove being the

c5 O

favorite bird of Venus.

He knew his mother's birds; and thus he prayed :
"Be you my guides, with your auspicious aid,
And lead my footsteps, till the branch be found,
Whose glittering shadow gilds the sacred ground."

DRYDEN, AZneid, BOOK VI

The branch was soon found, for the doves, flut-
tering away, yet keeping within view of /Eneas,

presently perched upon a tree, and from out the
foliage of this tree, as the Trojan chief approached
it, there flashed upon his eyes the gleam of the
golden bough. Eagerly he plucked off the branch,
and gladly bore it to the cave of the Sibyl.

They now set out on their perilous journey. At
the mouth of the gloomy cavern by the side of
Lake Avernus, which was the opening to the road
that led to Hades — the kingdom of the dead —
they offered sacrifices to the gods. Then they
plunged into the cave, the Sibyl going first, and
^Eneas following with sword drawn, as his guide
had directed. Many strange and terrible sights
they saw on the way.

Full in the midst an aged elm
Broods darkly o'er the shadowy realm ;
There dream-land phantoms rest the wing,
Men say, and 'neath its foliage cling,
And many monstrous shapes beside.
There Centaurs-, Scyllas, fish and maid,
There Briareus' hundred-handed shade.

CONINGTON, AZneid, BOOK VI.

^Eneas was about to rush on these monsters
with his sword, when the Sibyl informed him that
they were no real beings but merely phantoms.
Then they came to the Styx — the river of Hades,
over which the ferryman Cha'ron, grim and long-

bearded, conveyed the departed spirits, in his iron-
colored boat, using a pole to steer with.

The watery passage Charon keeps
Sole warden of these murky deeps.

CONINGTON, JEneid^ BOOK VI.

No living being was permitted to enter Charon's
boat, or to cross the Stygian river without the pass-
port of the golden bough. This could be obtained
only by special favor of some powerful god, and few
had been so favored. Even the dead, if their bodies
had not received burial rites, were refused admis-
sion to the boat, until they had wandered on the
shore for a hundred years. So the Sibyl told /Eneas
when he inquired why some were ferried over, while
others were driven back, lamenting that they were
not allowed to pass to their destined abode.

" The ghosts rejected are the unhappy crew
Deprived of sepulchres and funeral due ;
The boatman, Charon ; those, the buried host,
He ferries over to the further coast ;
Nor dares his transport vessel cross the waves
With such whose bones are not composed in graves.
A hundred years they wander on the shore ;
At length, their penance done, are wafted o'er."

DRYDEN, SEneid, BOOK VI.

One of these unhappy spirits /Eneas recognised
as that of his pilot Palinurus, who told the hero

that he had not been drowned, or plunged into the
sea by a god, for he did not know of the treachery
of Somnus. He had fallen overboard, he said, and
kept afloat for three days, clinging to the helm,
which he had dragged away with him. On the
fourth day he had swam ashore on the Italian coast,
and would have been out of danger, had not the
cruel natives there fallen upon him with their
swords. His body he said was now tossing about
in the waters of the harbor of Ve'li-a, and he
begged ^Eneas to seek it out and give it burial,
or, if this was impossible, to devise some means of
helping him across the Stygian river. This latter
proposal the Sibyl forbade as impious, saying that
the decrees of the gods could not be thus altered.
But she consoled Palinurus by predicting that the
people of Velia should be punished by plagues from
heaven until they erected a tomb to his memory,
and that the place should forever bear his name.
The modern name of the place is Capo di Pali-
nuro — Cape of Palinurus.

^neas and his guide now approached the river.
Charon at once seeing that they were mortal
beings, roughly ordered them to advance no further.

" Mortal, whate'er, who this forbidden path
In arms presum'st to tread ! I charge thee, stand,
And tell thy name, and business in the land!

Drawn by Parian.

CROSSING THE STYX.

(95)

.96

Know, this the realm of night — the Stygian shore;
My boat conveys no living bodies o'er."

DRYDEN, sEneid^ BOOK W.

The Sibyl answered that her companion was the
Trojan yEneas, illustrious for piety and valor, who
desired to go down to the shades to see and converse
with his father Anchises. Then from underneath
her robe she produced the golden bough.

No more was needful; for the gloomy god
Stood mute with awe, to see the golden rod;
Admired the destined offering to his queen —
A venerable gift, so rarely seen.

DRYDEN, JEneid, BOOK VI.

The two mortals were now received into the boat
and soon ferried safely to the other side. There they
saw the three-headed watchdog Cer'be-rus, who made
the dreary region resound with his frightful barking.
The Sibyl flung him a cake composed of honey and
drugged grain, which he greedily swallowed. Then
the monster fell into a deep sleep. The passage
being thus free, they proceeded on their way. Soon
they came to the place where the judge Mi'nos sat,
examining into the lives and crimes of departed
mortals.

Minos, the strict inquisitor, appears;

And lives and crimes, with his assessors, hears.

Round, in his urn, the blended balls he rolls,
Absolves the just, and dooms the guilty souls.

DRYUEN, ALneid^ BOOK VI.

In one of the outer regions of the shadowy world
he had now entered, a region which the poet calls
the " Mourning Fields," /Eneas beheld the shade of

the unhappy Carthaginian queen.

Whom when the Trojan hero hardly knew,
Obscure in shades, and with a doubtful view,
With tears he first approached the sullen shade;
And as his love inspired him, thus he said:
"Unhappy queen! then is the common breath
Of rumor true, in your reported death,
And I, alas! the cause ? — By Heaven, I vow,
And all the powers that rule the realms below,
Unwilling I forsook your friendly state,
Commanded by the gods, and forced by Fate."

DRYDEN, ALneid, BOOK VI.

But the mournful shade made no answer to the
Trojan hero's vows and regrets.

Disdainfully she looked; then turning round,
She fixed her eyes unmoved upon the ground;
And, what he says and swears, regards no more
Than the deaf rocks, when the loud billows roar:
But whirled away, to shun his hateful sight,
Hid in the forest, and the shades of night:
Then sought Sichaeus through the shady grove,
Who answered all her cares, and equalled all her love.

DRYDEN, ^Enei'J^ BOOK VI.
STO. OF AENEAS — 7

They next came to the Field of Heroes, where
/Eneas saw the shades of many of his brave comrades
of the Trojan war. The ghosts crowded round him,
standing on the right hand and on the left. Nor were
they satisfied with seeing him once. They wished to
detain him a lon^ time, to talk with him and learn

the cause of his strange visit. But the Sibyl warned
him that they must hasten forward, and presently
they came to a place where the path divided itself
into two. The right led by the walls of Pluto's
palace to the happy Field of E-lys'ium, the land of
the blessed. The left path led to Tar'ta-rus, the
abode of the wicked. At this place /Eneas saw a
vast prison, inclosed by a triple wall, around which
flowed the Phleg'e-thon, a river of fire. In front of
it was a huge gate of solid adamant.

There rolls swift Plegethon, with thund'ring sound,

His broken rocks, and whirls his surges round.

On mighty columns rais'd sublime are hung

The massy gates impenetrably strong.

In vain would men, in vain would gods essay,

To hew the beams of adamant away,

PITT, SEneid^ BOOK VI

Deep groans and the grating of iron and the clank-
ing of chains were heard from out these walls. None
except the lost souls the Sibyl said, were allowed to
pass the threshold ot Tartarus and the punishments

there, and the crimes for which the wicked suffered,
were such that she could not tell them though she had
a hundred tongues.

" Had I a hundred mouths, a hundred tongues,
And throats of brass, inspired with iron lungs,
I could not half those horrid crimes repeat,
Nor half the punishment those crimes have met."

DRYDEN, Mneid, BOOK VI.

Some were punished by being tied to perpetually
revolving wheels of fire. This was the fate of a king
named Ix-i'on. Others, like the robber Sis'y-phus,
were condemned to roll huge stones up a hill, and
just on reaching the summit, the stones would
slip from their grasp and roll to the foot of the hill,
and the unhappy beings had to roll them up again,
and so on forever. Others were tortured like Pi-
rith'o-us, who stood under a great hanging rock, which
threatened every moment to tumble down upon him,
keeping him in constant terror.

The Sibyl told ^Eneas of these and many other
punishments appointed by the gods for bad men.
Then they hastened to Pluto's palace, and the hero
fixed the golden bough on the door, after which, pro-
ceeding on their way, they soon came to the Elysian
Fields — the abode of those who while on earth had
led good and useful lives. Here were delightful
green fields and shady groves ; the sky was bright,

IOO

the air pure and balmy. The happy spirits were en-
gaged in sports, such as had been their pleasure when
in the world above. Some were wrestling on 'the
grassy plain, others exercising with spear and bow,
others singing and dancing.

Their airy limbs in sports they exercise,
And, on the green, contend the wrestler's prize.
Some, in heroic verse, divinely sing;
Others in artful measures lead the ring.

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK VI.

On the bank of a beautiful river — the E-rid'a-nus
— flowing over sands of gold, was a band of spirits
whose heads were crowned with white garlands.
These were the spirits of patriots who had fought for
their country, poets \vho had sung the praises of the
gods, and men who had improved life by the inven-
tion of useful arts. In this band was Mu-sae'us, the
most ancient of poets. Approaching him the Sibyl
inquired where Anchises might be found. " None of
us here," answered Musaeus, "has a fixed abode.
We dwell in shady groves, or lie on the banks of
crystal streams. But come over this eminence and
I will direct you to him you seek."

Musaeus then led them to a spot from which they
could view the bright Elysian fields around, and
pointed to a green dale where at last they beheld
Anchises. The hero hastened to approach his father,

IOI

eager to embrace him, and thrice did he attempt to
throw his arms about his neck, but thrice did the
form escape his hold, for it was nothing but thin air.

Thrice, around his neck, his arms he threw
And thrice the flitting shadow slipped away,
Like winds, or empty dreams, that fly the day.

DRYDEN, sEneid^ BOOK VI.

Anchises told his son much about the dwellers in
Elysium. On the banks of the river Lethe — the
river of forgetf ulness — was a countless multitude of

spirits which, he said, were yet to live in earthly
bodies. They were the souls of unborn generations
of men. Amongst them, he pointed out to y^Eneas, the
spirits of many of those who were to be his own de-
scendants in the kingdom he was to establish in Italy.

The father-spirit leads

The priestess and his son through swarms of shades,
And takes a rising ground, from thence to see
The long procession of his progeny.

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK VI.

From this rising ground /Eneas saw the shadowy
forms of future heroes of Rome — of Rom'u-lus, who
was to found the city- -of Brutus, Ca-mirius, Fa'bi-us,
and of the mighty Caesars.

" Lo ! Caesar there and all his seed,
lulus' progeny decreed

To pass 'neath heaven's high dome.

IO2

This, this is he, so oft the theme
Of your prophetic fancy's dream,

Augustus Caesar, Jove's own strain."

CONINGTON, sEneid, BOOK VI.

Anchises next told /Eneas of the wars he should
have to wage, and instructed him how to avoid or
overcome every difficulty. Then he conducted his
visitors to the gates of Sleep, through which the gods
of Hades sent dreams to the upper world — true
dreams through the gate of horn, and false dreams
through the gate of ivory. Here Anchises left them.
Then departing by the ivory gate from the kingdom
of the dead, they returned to the Cumaean cave, and
/Eneas forthwith proceeded to his ships.

Sleep gives his name to portals twain;

One all of horn, they say,
Through which authentic spectres gain

Quick exit into day,

And one which bright with ivory gleams,
Whence Pluto sends delusive dreams.
Conversing still, the sire attends

The travellers on their road,
And through the ivory portal sends

From forth the unseen abode.
The chief betakes him to the fleet,
Well pleased again his crew to meet.

CONINGTON, &neid) BOOK VI.

VI. AENEAS ARRIVES IN LATIUM- -WEL-
COMED BY KING LATINUS.

THE object of his visit to the Sibyl being accom-
plished, the Trojan chief set 'sail and steered along
the coast in the direction of the promised land. But
soon again he had occasion to put ashore. His
nurse, Ca-i-e'ta, having died shortly after the depart-
ure of the fleet from Cumae, he desired to give funeral
honors to her remains. This duty performed, he
named the place (modern Gaeta) in memory of his
faithful and attached old servant.

And thou, O matron of immortal fame!
Here dying, to the shore hast left thy name;
Caieta still the place is called from thee,
The nurse of great Eneas' infancy.
Here rest thy bones in rich Hesperia's plains;
Thy name ('tis all a ghost can have) remains.

DRYDEN, /Eneid^ BOOK VII.

Again resuming their voyage they came near an
island where dwelt the sorceress, Cir'ce, who by her
enchantments changed men into beasts. As they

passed the island the Trojans heard with horror the

[103]

roaring of lions and the howling of wolves, once
human beings, but transformed by the cruel goddess
into the shape of those savage animals. Aided, how-
ever, by favorable winds sent by the friendly Nep-
tune, they sped away from this dangerous spot,
and soon they were near the end of their wan-
derings. At the dawn of next morning they be-
held a spacious grove, through which a pleasant
river, tinted with the hue of the yellow sand,
burst forth into the sea. This was the Tiber
on whose banks in the distant future was to be
founded the city in which the descendants of the
Trojan prince should hold imperial sway. /Eneas,
though not aware that he was so close to the des-
tined spot, commanded his pilots to turn the ships
towards the land, and joyfully they entered the river.
All around, the Trojan chief, as he gazed upon
the scene, could hear the sweet music of the groves.

Embowered amid the silvan scene
Old Tiber winds his banks between,
Around, gay birds of diverse wing,
Accustomed there to fly or sing,
Were fluttering on from spray to spray
And soothing ether with their lay.

CONINGTON, /Eneid, BOOK VII.

The country in which the Trojans had nowlande.d
was called Latium, and La-ti'nus was its king. Like
most great kings of ancient times, he was descended

o O

from a god. His father, Faunus, was the grandson
of Saturn, the predecessor and father of Jupiter.

Latinus was advanced in years, and he had no
male heir, but he had an only daughter, young and
beautiful, whose name was La-vin'i-a. Many of the
princes of the neighboring states eagerly sought La-
vinia's hand in marriage. Chief amongst them was

o o

Turnus, king of the Ru'tu-li, a brave and handsome
youth. Lavinia's mother, Queen A-ma'ta, favored
the suit of Turnus, and desired to have him as her
son-in-law.

But the gods had not willed it so, and they sent
signs from heaven- -signs of their disapproval of the
proposed union. In the inner court of the palace
of Latinus stood a laurel tree which had been pre-
served for many years with great reverence. From
this tree, it was said, Latinus had given the name Lau-
ren'tines to the inhabitants of the country. Just
about the time the Trojan fleet was entering the
Tiber an immense number of bees were seen to
cluster on the top of the laurel tree, and soon link-
ing together, feet to feet, they swung in a strange
manner from one of the boughs. The king's sooth-
sayer explained this to mean that a foreign hero was
then coming into the country, and that he would one
day be its ruler.

About the same time, while the princess Lavinia

io6

was bringing fire to an altar where her father stood
preparing to offer sacrifice, the flame seemed to
catch her flowing hair, and to envelop her whole
body in its glowing light, without, however, inflicting
the slightest injury. The soothsayer declared that
this was a sign that Lavinia would be great and fa-
mous, but that through her war should come on the
people.

" The nymph who scatters flaming fires around,
Shall shine with honor, shall herself be crowned;
But, caused by her irrevocable fate,
War shall the country waste, and change the state."

DRYDEN, Mneid^ BOOK VII.

The king was much troubled by these events and
so he went into the wood, to the tomb of his father,
Faunus, by whom answers were given in dreams to
those who, having offered sacrifices, lay down and
slept under the trees. Latinus, after performing the
necessary ceremonies, soon heard the voice of his
father warning him not to give his daughter in mar-
riage to any prince of his own country. "A for-
eigner," said he, "is coming who shall be your son-
in-law, and his descendants shall exalt our name to
the stars. From his race, united with ours, shall
spring mighty men, who shall conquer and rule the
world to its farthest limits."

Kincr Latinus did not conceal his dream. On the

«~

107

contrary he proclaimed it aloud to his people.
And so the news of the arrival of the strangers

with their ships came not as a surprise to the inhab-
itants of Latium.

Meanwhile the Trojans having landed upon the
Latian coast, /Eneas and several of his chiefs, ac-
companied by his son lulus, sat down under a tall
tree to refresh themselves with food and drink.
They had cakes of wheat, the last of their store,
spread upon the grass, and upon these cakes they
placed wild fruits which they had gathered in the
woods. When they had eaten the fruit, they pro-
ceeded to eat the cakes, upon which lulus ex-
claimed, "What, are we eating our tables too?'
The boy had no thought of the meaning of what
they had been doing. But /Eneas joyfully recog-
nized it as the fulfillment of the threatening pro-
phecy of the Harpy Celaena. The cakes were the
tables, and the Trojans had now eaten them with-
out harm.

Then /Eneas spoke encouraging words to his
companions. " Hail, O land, destined to us by the
Fates ! This is our home ; this is our country. For
my father too (as I now remember), told me in
Elysium these same secrets, saying: 'When hunger
shall compel you, my son, wafted to an unknown
shore, to eat up your tables, your provisions having

io8

failed, then you may hope for a settlement after your
toils, and in that place you may found your first
city.' Here was that famine of which he spoke.
Our calamities are now at an end. Let us, then,
with the first light of to-morrow's sun, explore this
country, ascertain who are its inhabitants, and where
their cities are."

Next day, when /Eneas learned what country he
was in, and the name of its king, he sent ambassa-
dors — a hundred of his chiefs — to wait on Latinus
and beg his friendship and assistance, furnishing
them with costly gifts for the king. The chiefs
hastened on their mission to Latinus, and yEneas
meanwhile began to mark out the boundaries of a
new city.

When the Trojan ambassadors reached Lau-ren'-
tum, the capital of Latium, they were admitted to
the royal palace and brought into the presence of
the king, who was seated on his throne — a magnifi-
cent structure raised aloft on a hundred columns,
around which were numerous statues of the king's
ancestors, carved in cedar wood. Latinus, after
civilly greeting the strangers, bade them say for
what purpose they had come to Italy; whether they
had landed in his country because of having missed
their course at sea, or through stress of wreather.
He added that whatever was the object of their

coming, they should receive kind treatment from
him and his people.

To these friendly words Ilioneus, speaking for
the Trojans, replied that it was no storm that sent
them to Italy. " Willingly and with design," said
he, "have we come to your shores, O king, after
having been expelled from a kingdom once the
most powerful under the sun. Our race is derived
from Jupiter himself, and our chief, /Eneas, de-
scended from the gods, has sent us to your court.
All the world has heard of the destruction of our
city, Troy. Driven by misfortunes over many
seas, we beg for a settlement in your country. Dar-
danus, our ancestor, was born in this land, and now
his descendants, directed by the gods, come to the
home of their father." They then presented to the
king the costly gifts which /Eneas had sent.

" Our prince presents with his request,
Some small remains of what his sire possessed ;
This golden charger, snatched from burning Troy,

Anchises did in sacrifice employ ;

This royal robe and this tiara wore

Old Priam, and this golden sceptre bore

In full assemblies, and in solemn games ;

These purple vests were weaved by Dardan dames."

DKYDEN, ALneid, BOOK VII.

After Ilioneus had ceased speaking, the king was
silent for some time, pondering on the words of his

father which he had heard in the dream. ^Eneas,
he thought, must be the foreigner, destined to be his
son-in-law, whose descendants should rule the world.
Then he addressed the Trojans, saying that what they
asked should gladly be given, and requesting them
to tell their chief, ^Eneas, to visit him. " Bear this
message too," said he, "from me to your king. I
have a daughter whom the gods do not permit me
to give in marriage to any of our own nation.
There is a prediction that my son-in-law shall be a
stranger, and that his race shall exalt our name to
the stars. I judge that your chief is the man thus
destined by the fates, and this too is my own
wish."

Then Latinus gave valuable presents to the
Trojans — to each a steed from the royal stables,
with rich purple trappings. To tineas him-
self he sent a chariot and a pair of horses of the
breed which the sorceress, Circe, had obtained from
the sun-god, her father. With these presents, the
Trojan ambassadors, mounted on their splendid
steeds, returned to their chief, and joyfully informed
him of the king's message and invitation.

But this friendship shown to the Trojans by King
Latinus was not at all agreeable to Juno. On the
contrary that unforgiving goddess was filled with
grief and anger when she saw y'Eneas and his people

Ill

engaged in building their city and settling them-
selves in their new home, and so she resolved to
stir up strife between the Trojans and Latinus.
With this object she called to her aid A-lec'to, one
of the three terrible sisters called Furies. These
were evil deities whose usual occupation was to
scourge and torment condemned souls in the
kingdom of Pluto, and drive them to the gates of
Tartarus. They sometimes also caused trouble
in the upper world, by exciting dissensions and
bringing about wars. This was the service which
Juno now required, and so, addressing Alecto she
requested her to stir up discord between the people
of Latium and the followers of /Eneas.

" ' Tis thine to ruin realms, o'erturn a state,
Betwixt the dearest friends to raise debate,
And kindle kindred blood to mutual hate.
Thy hand o'er towns the funeral torch displays,
And forms a thousand ills ten thousand ways.
Now, shake from out thy frightful breast, the seeds
Of envy, discord, and of cruel deeds ;
Confound the peace established, and prepare
Their souls to hatred, and their hands to war."

DRYDEN, JEneid, BOOK VII.

Alecto, glad to be thus employed, hastened to the
palace of Latinus, and sought out Queen Amata,
who, as has already been said, desired to have
Turnus for her son-in-law. The Furies were hide-

Sf<..'.' . . '. ,;:.-d\U\\\\\\.VuVVtoll.i^' ' <•• '' -' ' •~_^_-';'--L

(112)

ous beings in appearance, for instead of hair they
had serpents coiled around their heads. Alecto
unseen by Amata, shook her terrible locks, upon
which one of the reptiles darted into the dress of
the queen; and, gliding unfelt around her body,
infused into her heart a violent hatred of the Trojans.

Unseen, unfelt, the fiery serpent skims ;
His baneful breath inspiring as he glides ;
Now like a chain around her neck he rides ;
Now like a fillet to her head repairs,
And with his circling volumes folds her hairs.
At first the silent venom slid with ease,
And seized her cooler senses by degrees.

DRYDEN, /Eneid, BOOK VII.

Amata now endeavored to turn the mind of Lati-
nus against the proposed marriage, but he was not to
be moved from his purpose of forming an alliance
with the Trojans. Then the queen filled with anger
rushed out of the palace, as if in a frenzy, and hast-
ening through the city called upon the women of
Latium to espouse her cause and the cause of their
country. She also carried off her daughter, and
concealed her in the mountains, to prevent her mar-
riage with the hated Trojan.

Having thus kindled discord in the family of
Latinus, Alecto next proceeded to Ar'de-a the
Rutulian capital. Here she assumed the form of

STO. OF /'ENEAS — 8

114

Cal'y-be, an aged priestess of Juno's temple, and
appearing to King Turnus in a dream as he lay
asleep in his palace, urged him to take up arms
against Latinus and the strangers. Turnus was not
yet disposed to take this course, and so he replied
to the seeming priestess, that her duty was to guard
the statues and temples of the gods, and he advised
her to leave to men the management of affairs of
peace and war. Enraged by the words of Turnus
Alecto now resumed her Fury's form.

Her eyes grow stiffened, and with sulphur burn ;
Her hideous looks, and hellish form return ;
Her curling snakes with hissings fill the place,
And open all the furies of her face ;
Then, darting fire from her malignant eyes,
She cast him backward as he strove to rise.

DRVDEN, SEneid^ BOOK VII.

Then crying out that she came from the abode of
the dire sisters, and that wars and death were in her
hands, she flung a fire-brand at the king, and dis-
appeared. Turnus started from his sleep, in terror,
and now his breast was filled with eager desire
for war. Immediately he sent orders amongst his
chiefs to prepare to defend Italy and expel the
foreigners, declaring that he and his people were a
match for Trojans and Latins combined.

Meanwhile Alecto, her mission of discord not

yet completed, appeared among a band of Trojan
youths who with lulus at their head were amusing
themselves by hunting in the forest. The Fury
hurled a fire-brand at the hounds, and suddenly, as
if seized with madness, they rushed in pursuit of a
beautiful young stag which was sporting among the
trees. This stag was a pet of SyTvi-a, the daughter
of Tyr'rheus, one of the herdsmen of King Latinus.
lulus seeing the hounds in pursuit, followed them,
and shot at and wounded the sta^. The animal

fled to the house of Tyrrheus, where Sylvia, seeing
her pet covered with blood, broke out into loud
lamentations. Her father in a fit of anger seized a
weapon, and joined by some of his friends rushed
upon lulus and his companions. The alarm
quickly reaching the camp of the Trojans several of
them hastened to assist their countrymen, and a
fierce battle ensued, in which many of the Latians
or Latins were killed. Thus the evil project of
Juno was accomplished.

Then Juno thus : "The grateful work is done,
The seeds of discord sowed, the war begun ;
Frauds, fears and fury, have possessed the state,
And fixed the causes of a lasting hate."

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK VII.

And now the Latian youth, chiefly shepherds,
who had taken part with Tyrrheus, rushed from

the field of battle into the city, carrying with them
the bodies of their friends who had been slain,
and crying to the gods and to King Latinus for
vengeance upon the Trojans. Just then King
Turnus appeared with a force of his Rutulians,
and addressed the people in words which excited
them to the highest pitch of fury. He told them
that foreigners had been invited to rule in their

country, and that the chief of the intruders was to
have the princess who had been promised to him
to be his wife.

Then a great multitude of Latians and Rutulians
hastened to the palace of King Latinus, and de-
manded that he should at once declare war against
the Trojans. Latinus refused to do what he knew
was against the decrees of the gods, and he warned
the people that evil would come upon them if they
persevered in their mad opposition to the will of
heaven. He also warned Turnus that he would be
punished for inciting such a war, and that he should
one day seek the aid of the gods, and seek it in
vain. As for himself, he said, he was an old man.
Their folly could deprive him only of a happy end-
ing of a life which could not be much further pro-
longed. He then retired to his palace, and gave up
the reins of government, leaving the people to pur-
sue their own course.

He said no more, but, in his walls confined,
Shut out the woes which he too well divined ;
Nor with the rising storm would vainly strive,
But left the helm, and let the vessel drive.

DKVDEN, sE>u-id, BOOK VII.

In spite of the warning of their king, the Latians
now resolved upon war against the Trojans and
they demanded that the gates of the temple of Janus
should be thrown open. Janus was the most ancient
king who reigned in Italy. When he died he was
worshipped as a god, and a magnificent temple was
erected in his honor. The gates of this temple were
always open in times of war and shut in times of
peace. They were opened by the king, and in later
ages, when Rome was a republic, the president or
consul performed the ceremony dressed in robes of
purple and attended by multitudes of citizens and
soldiers, with the blaring of trumpets.

Two gates of steel (the name of Mars they bear,
And still are worshipped with religious fear)
Before his temple stand ; the dire abode,
And the feared issues of the furious god,
Then, when the sacred senate votes the wars,
The Roman consul their decree declares,
And in his robes the sounding gates unbars.
The youth in military shouts arise,
And the loud trumpets break the yielding skies.

DRVDEN, SEneid^ BOOK VII.

iiS

The Latians now requested their king to unlock
the gates of the temple of Janus in accordance with
the ancient custom. Latinus refused saying that
to do so would be a defiance of the gods. But the
goddess Juno, resolved that there should be no peace,
descended from the skies, and with her own hands
pushed back the bolts of brass, and flung wide open
the gates. Then the cry of war went forth through-
out the land and everywhere men began to prepare
for the conflict, giving up their work in the fields to
get ready their spears and shields and battle-axes.
Soon a vast number of warriors was marshalled
under King Turnus to drive the Trojans out of
Italy. Vergil gives a long list of the famous chiefs
who assembled on this occasion.

First came Me-zen'ti-us, an Etrurian king, fierce
in war, but a despiser of the gods. His own people
had expelled him from their country, for his cruelty,
and he had taken refuge with King Turnus. His
son Lausus also came to the war with a thousand
men from the Etrurian city of A-gyl'la. Next came
the brave Av-en-ti'nus, son of the renowned hero,
Her'cu-les, who performed those marvelous feats, of
which we read with wonder in the ancient legends.
Aventinus was a warrior of terrible appearance, his
body covered with the shaggy hide of an enormous
lion, the white tusks displayed above his head.

King Caec'u-lus, son of the god Vulcan, came from
the city of Prae-nes'te with an army who fought with
slinks, wore Helmets of wolf-skins, and marched with

one foot naked.

Nor arms they wear, nor swords and bucklers wield,
Nor drive the chariot through the dusty field;
But whirl from leathern slings huge balls of lead;
And spoils of yellow wolves adorn their head;
The left foot naked, when they march to fight;
But in a bull's raw hide they sheath the right.

DKVDEN, JEneid^ BOOK VII.

From the mountains of Etruria came the gallant
horseman, Mes-sa'pus, Neptune's son, " whom none
had power to prostrate by fire or steel." The mighty
King: Clausus led to the field a great host from the

o o

country of the Sabines, and an army of the Qui-ri'tes
from the town of Cu'res. This name, Quirites was
in later ages one of the names by which the citizens
of Rome were called. Another of the warriors was
Umbro, chief of the Maru'vi-i, who could charm
serpents and heal wounds inflicted by their bites.

All these and many more of the princes of Italy,
assembled with their armies at the call of Turnus.
Greatest amongst them was Turnus himself, tallest by
a head, and clad in armor brilliant with embroidered
o;old. There was one female warrior amongst

his allies. This was Ca-mil'la, the queen of the Vol-

Drawn by Varian.
(1 20)

CAMILLA.

121

scians. She was the daughter of King Met'a-bus,
who, like Mezentius, had been driven from his king-
dom by his own people, because he was a cruel
tyrant. In his flight, for the enraged people pursued
him to take his life, he carried with him his infant
daughter Camilla. Coming to the bank of a river

o o

and still pursued by his enemies, he bound the child
fast to his javelin, and holding the weapon in his
hands, he prayed to Di-a'na, goddess of hunters and
hunting, and dedicated his daughter to her saying,
" To thee, goddess of the woods, I devote this child
to be thy handmaid, and committing her to the wind,
I implore thee to receive her as thine own." Then
he hurled the spear across the river, and plunging
into the water swam to the other side, where he
found the javelin fixed in the bank, and the infant
uninjured.

After this achievement Metabus retired to the
mountains, where he led the life of a shepherd. As
soon as the child was able to hold a weapon in her
hand, he trained her to the use of javelins and
arrows and she grew up to be a brave and skillful
warrior. In course of time she returned to the king-
dom from which her father had been expelled, and
became celebrated as a runner of wondrous speed.

VII. ALLIANCE WITH EVANDER— VULCAN

MAKES ARMS FOR AENEAS — THE

FAMOUS SHIELD.

MEANWHILE ^neas was considering how to de-

fend himself and his people against the enemy who
was thus marshalling such mighty forces against him.
He thought of many plans without being able to
decide upon any.

This way, and that, he turns his anxious mind;
Thinks, and rejects the counsels he designed;
Explores himself in vain in every part,
And gives no rest to his distracted heart

DRYDEN, Mneid, BOOK VIII.

But fortune again favored the pious chief. In a
dream the river god, Tib-e-ri'nus, arrayed in garb of
green, with a crown of reeds upon his head (old
Father Tiber himself, the guardian genius of Rome
in later ages) appeared to him, and told him where
to seek help. He repeated the prophecy of
Helenus, about the sow with her litter of thirty
young, and he directed y^Eneas to repair to Pal-

lan-te'um, a city further up the river, whose king,

[122]

123

E-van'der, being frequently at war with the Latians,
would gladly join the Trojans. The good father
promised that he himself would conduct the
Trojans along his banks, and bear them safely
on his waters until they reached the Kingdom of
Evander.

" To thy free passage I submit my streams.
Wake, son of Venus, from thy pleasing dreams'
And when the setting stars are lost in day,
To Juno's power thy just devotion pay;
With sacrifice the wrathful queen appease;
Her pride at length shall fall, her fury cease.
WThen thou return'st victorious from the war,
Perform thy vows to me with grateful care.
The god am I, whose yellow water flows
Around these fields, and fattens as it goes;
Tiber my name — among the rolling floods
Renowned on earth, esteemed among the gods."

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK VIII.

Old Father Tiber then plunged into the middle
of the river, and disappeared from the hero's view.
When /Eneas awoke he immediately prepared for
his journey, selecting two ships from his fleet and
furnishing them with men and arms. As he was
about to depart, the prophecy only just repeated by
the river god was fulfilled before his eyes; for on the
bank where he stood, a white sow suddenly appeared
with a litter of thirty young ones.

124

When lo! a sudden prodigy;

A milk-white sow is seen
Stretched with her young ones, white as she,

Along the margent green.
^Eneas takes them, dam and brood,
And o'er the altars pours their blood,
To thee, great Juno, e'en to thee,

High heaven's majestic queen.

CONINGTON, jQLneid, BOOK VIII.

then started on his voyage, Father Tiber
making the passage easy by calming his turbid river
so that its surface was as smooth as a peaceful lake.
At noon next day the Trojans came in sight of Pal-
lanteum, and soon afterwards they turned their ships
toward the land, and approached the city. Just then
King Evander, accompanied by his son Pallas and
many of his chiefs, was offering a sacrifice to Her-
cules in a grove outside the city walls. Alarmed at
the sudden appearance of the vessels, they made a
movement as if to depart in haste from their altars.
But Pallas forbade them to interrupt the sacred rites,
and advancing to meet the strangers, he addressed
them from a rising ground, asking who they were,
and for what purpose they had come. ./Eneas, speak-
ing from the deck of one of his ships, and holding
in his hand an olive branch, the emblem of peace,
replied, saying, " You see before you sons of Troy,
and enemies of the Latians, who have declared war

125

aeainst. us. We seek Kino: Evander. Bear him

£> o

these tidings, and say to him that we have come
asking for his alliance in arms."

Astonished at hearing that the visitors were the

illustrious Trojans whose fame had already spread
throughout the world, Pallas invited them to land

and come as guests to his father's house. /Eneas
gladly accepted the invitation, and the young prince
conducted them to the grove, and introduced them
to King Evander. This Evander was by birth a
Greek. He had come from the Grecian province of
Ar-ca'di-a, and the city he founded in Italy he called
after the name of his native Arcadian city of Pallan-
teum. ^Eneas, however, had no fear that Evander,
though a Greek, would be an enemy of his, for they
were both of the same blood, bein^ both descended

from Atlas, the mighty hero who of old supported the
heavens on his shoulders. Mercury, the father of
Evander, was the son of Ma'i-a, a daughter of Atlas ;
and Dardanus, the founder of Troy, and ancestor of
its kings, was son of E-lec'tra, another daughter of
Atlas. /Eneas reminded Evander of this relation-
ship and reminded him also that the Rutulians and
Latians were enemies of Evander and his people,
as well as of the Trojans.

" They are the nation," said he, " which pursue
you with cruel war, and they think that if they expel

126

us from the country, nothing can hinder them from
reducing all Italy under their yoke. Let us there-
fore form an alliance against this common foe. We
Trojans have amongst us men stout of heart in
battle and experienced in war."

While the hero was speaking, the king kept
his eyes intently fixed upon him, for in his face and
figure he saw the resemblance of the great Anchises,
whom he had known in past years. Then replying
to /Eneas, he said, " Great chief of the Trojan race,
I gladly receive and recognize you. I well recollect
the words, the voice, and the features of your father,
Anchises. For I remember that Priam on his way
to visit his sister Hesi ne in Greece, also visited my
country, Arcadia. Many of the Trojan princes
accompanied him ; but the most majestic of them
all was Anchises. Much did I admire him, and I
took him with me to our Arcadian city Phe'neus.
At his departure he gave me costly presents, a quiver
filled with Lycian arrows, a mantle interwoven with
gold and two golden bridles." Evander concluded
by consenting to the proposal of /Eneas for an
alliance against the Latians —

" The league you ask, I offer as your right ;
And when to-morrow's sun reveals the light,
With swift supplies you shall be sent away."

DRYDEN. &neid. BOOK VIII,

127

The Trojans were now hospitably entertained by
King Evander. Seated on the greensward, they
partook of a plenteous repast, and when the banquet
was over, the king explained to /Eneas and his com-
panions the meaning of the religious festivities in
which they had been engaged. It was through no
vain superstition, he said, that they performed these
solemn rites, but to commemorate their deliverance
from a terrible scourge, and to give honor to their
deliverer.

Then Evander related the story of the monster
Ca'cus, who in former times, dwelt in a cave under-
neath the hill on which Pallanteum was now built.
He was a giant, of enormous size and hideous to
behold, for from his father Vulcan, the god of fire,
he had got the power of breathing smoke and flame
through his mouth and nostrils. He was a scourge
and a terror to the country round, as besides being
a robber, he killed and devoured men. But by good
fortune the hero Hercules happened to pass that way,
driving before him a herd of cattle which he had

taken from another cruel monster- - the three-bodied
giant Ge'ry-on, whom he had destroyed. As these
cattle were grazing by the river, Hercules having
lain down on the bank to rest, Cacus stole four bulls
and four heifers, the finest of the herd. To conceal
the theft he dragged the animals backwards by the

128

tails into his den, so that their footprints seemed to
show that they had gone from the cave instead of
into it. This trick had almost succeeded, for Her-
cules, after searching in vain for the missing ani-
mals, was about to resume his journey, when a
lowing from within the cave reached his ears.

The oxen at departing fill

With noisy utterance grove and hill,

And breathe a farewell low;
When hark! a heifer from the den
Makes answer to the sound again

And mocks her wily foe.

CONINGTON, sEtieid, BOOK VIII.

Hercules now knowing what had become of his
cattle rushed to the top of the mount where he had
seen the giant, but Cacus fled into his cave, and
instantly let drop the huge stone which he kept sus-
pended by iron chains over the entrance. This
stone eve*n the mighty Hercules could not move from
its place, for it was held fast by great bolts on the
inside. But searching around the mount for an-
other entrance, he saw a rock overhanging the

o o

river, which formed a back for the cavern. Exertino-

his full strength, the hero wrenched this rock from
its fastenings, and hurled it into the water. In the
interior of the den, thus laid open, Hercules soon
caught sight of the robber, and commenced to assail

I2Q

him with arrows and stones. Then the monster
belched forth volumes of smoke and flame, conceal-
ing himself in a cloud of pitchy vapor. But Her-
cules now thoroughly enraged, rushed furiously into
the den, and seizing Cacus by the throat, choked
him to death. Great was the joy of the people
when they heard of the destruction of the monster,
and anniversary festivals had been held there ever
since in honor of the deliverer.

After King Evander had told this story, choirs of
young and old men, the priests called Saxli-i, sang
songs about the great deeds of Hercules ; how when
a child in his cradle he had strangled the two ser-
pents sent by Juno to destroy him, how he had slain
the furious lion of Nemea, dragged from Pluto's
realms the three-headed clog Cerberus, and per-
formed numerous other difficult and dangerous feats.

Evander and his people now returned to the city,
accompanied by their Trojan guests. The king
walked by the side of yEneas, and told him
many things about the traditions of the place,
and its early history. At one time, he said, the
country had been ruled by Saturn, who, driven from
the throne of the heavens by his son Jupiter, had
come to Italy, and finding on the banks of the rivei1
a race of uncivilized men, had formed them into a
settled society. He taught them how to till the

STO. OF ,*:NEAS — Q

130

ground, and introduced laws amongst them, and
'so peaceful and happy were they under his reign,
that it was called the Golden Age. One of the
kings long after Saturn's reign was Tiberinus,
whose name was given to the river, and who became
its guardian god.

The king then escorted y^Eneas through the town,
pointing out to him many places, destined to be
famous in later history, for on that very ground
Romulus built his city, and Pallanteum became the
celebrated Palatine Mount, one of the seven hills of
Rome. When they reached the royal palace, which
was not as large or magnificent as palaces often are,
the king took pride in mentioning that the great
Hercules, honored in life, and after death wor-
shipped as a god, had not disdained to accept hos-
pitality under its roof.

He spoke, and through the narrow door

The great yEneas led,
And heaped a couch upon the floor

With leaves and bear-skin spread.

CONINGTON, ALneid^ BOOK VIII.

While the Trojan chief was being entertained
by King Evander, his mother Venus was much
troubled in mind thinking of the danger which
threatened her son in his new settlement. She
resolved that he should have all the aid in her

power to supply, and so she requested Vulcan to
make him a suit of armor. Vulcan was the god of
smiths as well as of fire, and Venus thus appealed
to him in behalf of her son.

" While the Greeks were laboring to bring destruc-
tion on Troy," said she to the fire gocl, who was also
the god of smiths, " I did not ask your help, knowing
that the ruin of the city had been decreed by the gods.
But now ^Eneas has settled in Italy by Jupiter's
command ; therefore, I beg your assistance. What
I wish is that you should make arms and armor for my
son. Many nations have combined against him, and
are sharpening their swords for the destruction of
himself and his people."

Vulcan readily agreed to comply with the request
of Venus. Being a god he could make arms and
armor against which the power of mortal men would
be of no avail. His forges, and furnaces, and anvils
were in vast caves under one of the Lip'a-re isles
and under Mount y^Etna, and the giant Cyclops
were his workmen.

Sacred to Vulcan's name, an isle there lay,

Betwixt Sicilia's coasts and Lipare,

Raised high on smoking rocks ; and, deep below,

In hollow caves the fires of JEtna glow.

The Cyclops here their heavy hammers deal ;

Loud strokes, and hissing of tormented steel,

erf
O

(132)

133

Are heard around ; the boiling waters roar ;
And smoky flames through fuming tunnels soar.

DRVDEN, sEncid^ BOOK VIII.

To these workshops Vulcan forthwith repaired
to give orders for the arms which Venus requested
for her son. He found his men industriously at
work making wonderful things for the o-ocls. Some

o o o

were forging a thunderbolt for Jupiter, the rays or
shafts of which were of hail and watery cloud, and
glaring fire and the winged wind. Others were

o o o

making a war chariot for Mars, and others a shield
for Minerva, ornamented with serpent's scales of
gold. When Vulcan entered, he bade them lay
aside all those tasks.

" My sons! (said Vulcan), set your tasks aside;
Your strength and master skill must now be tried.
Arms for a hero forge — arms that require
Your force, your speed, and all your forming fire."

DRYDHN, /Eneid^ BOOK VIII.

Instantly the Cyclops set to work on their new
task, and very soon rivulets of molten gold and cop-
per and iron were flowing in flaming furnaces. A
splendid shield was made, which was a sufficient
defense in itself against all the weapons of King
Turnus. Other things necessary for war were also
put in shape, and so the work of forging arms for
the Trojan hero was vigorously prosecuted.

134

Meantime y^Eneas himself, after his night's repose
in the palace of Evander, was talking with the king
and his son on the business which had brought him
to Pallanteum. The good will of Evander was
greater than his means, for his country was small,
and on one side of it was the territory of his enemies,
the Rutulians. He was not able, therefore, to do
much for /Eneas, but he knew where ample aid
could be obtained. " In the neighboring state of
Etruria, and not far from this spot," said he, " stands
the ancient city of Agylla, founded by a nation
illustrious in war — Mezentius was recently its king,
a cruel and wicked man. The people, indignant at
his crimes, took up arms against him and set fire to
his palace. He himself fled for protection to King
Turnus, with whom he now is. The Etrurians
therefore have resolved to make war upon Turnus,
and their ships and men are already assembled.
You, ^Eneas, must be the leader of these people, for
a soothsayer has told them that no native of Italy is
destined to subdue the Rutulians, and that they must
choose a foreigner to be their commander in the

war. They have invited me to lead them, but I am
too old to undertake such a task. I would have
sent them my son, but being born of an Italian
mother, he is of the people of this land. You, how-
ever, gallant leader of the Trojans, being in the

135

prime of life, and of foreign race, are destined by the
gods for this work. My son Pallas too shall take
part in the expedition, and I will give him two
hundred horsemen, and as many more he shall add
in his own name."

Evander had scarcely ceased speaking when light-
nine flashed through the heavens and peals of thun-

o o

der were heard and sounds as of trumpets blaring,
and then across the sky were seen arms blazing
brilliantly as the sun — arms such as heroes bore in
battle, and they clashed with a loud resounding
noise.

Gazing up, repeated peals they hear ;
And, in a heaven serene, refulgent arms appear
Reddening the skies, and glittering all around,
The tempered metals clash, and yield a silver sound.

DRYDEN, ALneid, BOOK VIII.

understood this marvelous apparition, and
he explained it to his astonished companions as a
call to him from heaven. His divine mother, he
said, had told him that she would send that siffn.

and that she would brinff him arms made bv Vulcan.

O j

Then he offered the usual sacrifices to the ffods,

after which he went to his ships, ana chose from his
followers some to accompany him to Agylla, direct-
ing the others 'to return to the camp at Laurentum,
and inform lulus of the progress of their affairs at

1 36

Pallanteum. Preparations for departure were now
made. Evander gave /Eneas horses for himself and
his companions, and when all was ready, the king
affectionately embraced his son, and bade him a
tender farewell, praying to the gods that he might
live to see him come back in safety.

The Trojan chief and his warriors, among whom
were the faithful Achates and Pallas at the head
of his four hundred horsemen, then set forth from
the city, amid the acclamations of the people. They
soon came within sight of the camp of the Etrurians,
who, under the command of one of their chiefs
named Tarchon, had pitched their tents on a wide
plain not many miles from Pallanteum.

But before joining his new allies, /Eneas had a
meeting with his o-oddess mother. Down from the

o o

clouds she came, beautiful as the sun, bearing with
her the arms that Vulcan had made, and seeing her
son alone on the bank of a small stream, in a
secluded vale, to which he had retired for a brief
rest, she presented herself before him. At his feet she
placed the gifts she had promised, telling him that
now he might not fear to meet his foes in battle.

"Behold! (she said) performed in every part,
My promise made, and Vulcan's labored art.
Now seek, secure, the Latian enemy.
And haughty Turnus to the field defy."

DRYDEN, .-Endd, BOOK VIII.

137

Beautiful arms and armor they were, such as could
be designed and fashioned only by a god — a sword
and a spear, and a helmet with a blazing crest, and
a breastplate of flaming bronze, and greaves of gold
and electrum. But most wonderful of all was the
shield, upon which were depicted the glories and
triumphs in later ages of the mighty men of Rome,
the descendants of lulus, for Vulcan, being a god,
had the gift of seeing into futurity.

There, embossed, the heavenly smith had wrought
(Not in the rolls of future fate untaught)
The wars in order ; and the race divine
Of warriors issuing from the Julian line.

DRYDEN, sEnez'd^ BOOK VIII.

Vergil's description of this prophetic shield occu-
pies the concluding portion of the eighth book of
the ^Eneid. It is a summary of notable events in
the history of Rome from the time of Romulus,
who founded the city, to the time of the Emperor
Augustus. The achievements of Augustus are par-
ticularly dwelt on, for he was the friend and patron
of the poet, and Vergil, therefore, gave special
prominence to the part taken by him in the exten-
sion of the great empire. At the famous sea-battle
of Ac'ti-um (B. c. 31) near the promontory of Leu-ca'te
in Greece, Augustus, aided by A-grip'pa, defeated
the forces of Antony and the celebrated Egyptian

Drawn by Varian.

.ENEAS WITH HIS WONDERFUL ARMOR.
(138)

139

Queen Cle-o-pa'tra, and this victory made him mas-
ter of the Roman world. On the shield of /Eneas
the fio-ht at Actiurn was shown on a sea of molten

gold, in the midst of which were represented the
fleets of ships with their brazen prows.

Betwixt the quarters, flows a golden sea ;
But foaming surges there in silver play.
The dancing dolphins with their tails divide
The glittering waves, and cut the precious tide.
Amid the main, two mighty fleets engage ;
Their brazen beaks opposed with equal rage,
Actium surveys the well-disputed prize ;
Leucate's watery plain with foamy billows fries.
Young Caesar, on the stern in armor bright,
Here leads the Romans and their gods to fight ;
Agrippa seconds him, with prosperous gales,
And, with propitious gods, his foes assails.

A naval crown, that binds his manly brows,
The happy fortune of the fight foreshows.

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK VIII.

On another part of the shield were shown scenes
of the Emperor's three days' Triumph in Rome
after his great conquest — the procession of van-
quished nations, the games and the sacrifices to the
gods, and Augustus himself seated on a throne in
front of the temple of Apollo.

The victor to the gods his thanks expressed ;
And Rome triumphant with his presence blessed.

140

Three hundred temples in the town he placed ;
With spoils and altars every temple graced.
Three shining nights and three succeedings days,
The fields resound with shouts, the streets with praise,
Great Caesar sits sublime upon his throne,
Before Apollo's porch of Parian stone ;
Accepts the presents vowed for victory ;
And hangs the monumental crowns on high.
Vast crowds of vanquished nations march along,
Various in arms, in habit, and in tongue.

DRYDEN, JEneid^ BOOK VIII.

,/Eneas viewed these scenes with wonder and
delight, though ignorant of what they meant, and
putting on the beautiful armor, he bore upon his
shoulder the fortunes of his descendants.

These figures, on the shield divinely wrought,
By Vulcan labored, and by Venus brought,
With joy and wonder fill the hero's thought.
Unknown the names, he yet admires the grace ;
And bears aloft the fame and fortune of his race.

DRYDEN, ALneid^ BOOK VIII.

Vergil's description of the shield of /Eneas is in
imitation of Homer's beautiful description in the
Iliad of the shield of Achilles, also made by Vulcan.

VIII. TURNUS ATTACKS THE TROJAN CAMP
— NISUS AND EURYALUS.

ARRAYED in his new and splendid armor, the
Trojan chief rejoined his companions, and then
proceeded to the Etrurian camp, where he formed
a league with Tarchon. Meanwhile his enemies
were not inactive, for Juno sent Iris down from
heaven to the Rutulian king to urge him to
bestir himself against the Trojans. " Time has
brought about in your favor, O Turnus," said the
messenger of Juno, "what even the gods did not
dare to promise. /Eneas, having left his friends
and his fleet has £one to gather forces against

o o o

you in the city of Evander and in Etruria. Now
is your opportunity. Why do you hesitate to take
advantage of it ? Delay no longer, but seize
the camp of the Trojans, while their leader is
absent." Turnus recognized Iris, yet he knew not
by whom she had been sent. But he replied that
he would quickly obey, whoever it was that thus
called him to arms, and as he spoke, the goddess
vanished into the heavens, forming in her ascent

[141]

142

the beautiful rainbow, which was the sign of Juno's
messenger.

On equal wings she poised her weight,
And formed a radiant rainbow in her flight.

DRYDEN, Mneid^ BOOK IX.

Then the warriors were called to action, and
soon the whole army marched out into the open
plain, Messapus, the Etrurian, commanding the
front lines, the sons of Tyrrhus in the rear, and in
the center Turnus himself. The Trojans within
their camp, seeing the great cloud of dust which the
tread of the hosts of the Latians raised on the
plain, knew what it meant. Speedily they shut up
their gates and set guards upon the walls, for /Eneas
at his departure had ordered them that in case of
attack in his absence, they should not attempt
a fight in the open field, but defend themselves
within their ramparts. Turnus now tried to set
fire to the Trojan fleet, which lay in the river
close at hand, but the ships of /Eneas could not
be destroyed for they were made of wood cut
from the forest of Cyb'e-le, the mother of the
gods. When the hero was building them at the
foot of Mount Ida, Cybele begged her son Jupiter,
to grant that the vessels, being constructed of pine
trees sacred to her, might be forever safe from
destruction.

" Grant me (she said) the sole request I bring,
Since conquered heaven has owned you for its king.
On Ida's brows, for ages past there stood,
With firs and maples filled, a shady wood;
And on the summit rose a sacred grove,
Where I was worshipped with religious love.
These woods, that holy grove, my long delight,
I gave the Trojan prince, to speed his flight. •

Now filled with fear, on their behalf I come;
Let neither winds o'erset, nor waves entomb,
The floating forests of the sacred pine;
But let it be their safety to be mine."

DRYDEN, ^Eneid^ BOOK XI.

This request, though coming from his mother,
Jupiter was obliged to refuse, for it could not be, he
said, that vessels built by mortal hands should be
rendered immortal. He promised, however, that
those of the Trojan ships which safely reached their
destination in Italy should be transformed into god-
desses or nymphs of the ocean. Therefore, when
Turnus and his men rushed to the river with flam-
ing torches, the time had come for the promise of
the king of heaven to be fulfilled. As they were
about to cast their firebrands upon the galleys a
strange light flashed on the eyes of the Trojans,
then a bright cloud shot across the sky, and from
out of it these words uttered in a loud voice, were
heard by the Trojans and Rutulians. " Men of
Troy, you have no need to defend the ships.

144

Sooner shall Turnus burn up the seas than those
sacred pines. Glide on at your liberty, you nymphs
of the main. It is the parent of the gods who
commands you." No sooner were the words spoken
than the ships all broke away from their fasten-
ings, plunged out of sight into the depths of the
river, and reappeared in a moment as beautiful
maidens, moving gracefully along on the surface
of the water.

No sooner had the goddess ceased to speak,
When, lo! the obedient ships their halsers break;
And strange to tell, like dolphins in the main
They plunge their prows, and dive and spring again;
As many beauteous maids the billows sweep,
As rode before tall vessels on the deep.

DRVDEN. /Eneid^ BOOK IX.

The Rutulians were astonished at this spectacle,
but Turnus was still undismayed, and speaking to
his people he declared that what they had just seen
was bad for the Trojans themselves, for that now
they had no longer means of escape, their ships
having disappeared. " As for their much talked of
destiny," said he, "it has been fulfilled, since they
have reached the land of Italy. But I also have
my destiny, and it is to destroy the accursed race.
They depend a great deal on their walls, yet they
have seen the walls of Troy go down in flames,
though they were built by the hands of Neptune.

145

I do not need arms made by Vulcan, nor shall \ve
hide ourselves in a wooden horse. \\ e shall fight
the Trojans openly, and we shall teach them that
they have not now to do with men like the Greeks,
whom Hector baffled for ten years."

Turn us then laid siege to the Trojan camp. He
placed sentinels outside the gates, and had watch-
fires kindled at different points around the walls,
after which his men lay down on the field to rest.
But during the night the guards fell asleep, for they
were fatigued after the labors of the day, and so the
whole besieging army was now sunk in deep repose.
The Trojans on the other hand kept strict watch
within their camp, and adopted all necessary meas-
ures of defense.

All things needful for defence abound;
Mnestheus and brave Serestus walk the round,
Commissioned by their absent prince to share
The common danger, and divide the care.

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK IX.

The Trojan sentinels at one of the gates were
Nisus and Euryalus- -already mentioned as having
taken part in the foot race at the funeral games.

Love made them one in every thought;
In battle side by side they fought;
And now in duty at the gate
The twain in common station wait.

COMNGTON, ,*£ fit-id, BOOK IX

STO. OF /ENEAS — IO

146
Now Nisus had conceived the idea of making hig

way through the Rutulian lines and conveying to
/Eneas at Pallanteum news of the dangerous situa-
tion of his people in the besieged camp, and he
thought he would carry out his project while the
enemy were all asleep outside the walls. Euryalus
approved of the enterprise, and he begged that he
himself might be permitted to take part in it. To
this Nisus objected, for he did not wish that his dear
young friend should be exposed to the danger of the
undertaking. The mother of Euryalus had accom-
panied him all the way from Troy, and so great was
her love for him that she refused to part from him
even to share the good fortune of the other Trojan
women who had settled in Sicily. Nisus was very
unwilling to be the cause of grief to so devoted a

o o

mother, by permitting her son to join in an expedi-
tion in which he might lose his life.

" Nor let me cause so dire a smart
To that devoted mother's heart,
Who, sole of all the matron train,
Attends her darling o'er the main,
Nor cares like others to sit down
An inmate of Acestes* town."

CONINGTON, JEneid, BOOK IX.

But Euryalus insisted on accompanying his friend,
and so after obtaining the consent of the chiefs in

147

command, who highly praised their courage and
promised to reward them, they made ready to set
forth. Euryalus begged that they would comfort
and assist his mother if any evil should happen to
him. To this request lulus answered that she should
be to him as if she were his own mother. " Grati-
tude is due to her," said he, "for having given birth
to such a son. The reward I promise to give to you,
if you return in safety, I shall give to your mother
should ill fortune attend you."

Euryalus and Nisus now set out upon their mis-
sion. Passing through the camp of the sleeping
Rutulians, they soon reached the outside of the
enemy's lines. It happened that a body of Latian
horsemen was just then passing that way on the
route from Laurentum to join the army of Turnus.
Catching sight of the two strangers, Volcens, the
leader of the troop, cried out to them to "stand,"
and demanded to know who they were, and whither
they were bound. The Trojans, making no answer,
fled into a wood close by. Then Volcens placed
guards on the passes and at the outlets of the wood
to prevent the escape of the fugitives. Meanwhile
Euryalus, getting separated from his companion,
and losing his way in the thick shades of the forest,
fell into the enemy's hands,

Nisus might have escaped, and-had in fact got out

148

of the wood, but finding that his friend had disap-
peared, he returned to search for him, Presently he
heard the tramp of the horses, and looking forth from
a thicket in which he had concealed himself, he saw
Euryalus in the midst of the Latians, who were drag-
ging him violently along. Deeply grieved at the
sight, and resolving to rescue his comrade, or die in
the attempt, Nisus, after praying to Diana, the god-
dess of the woods, to guide his weapon in its course,
hurled a javelin at the enemy. It pierced the body
of one of the Latians named Sulmo, who fell dead.
His companions gazed around in amazement, not
knowing whence the attack had come. Nisus then
cast another javelin, and again one of the Latians
fell to the ground. Enraged at seeing his men thus
slain before his eyes by an unseen assailant, Vol-
cens, with sword in hand, rushed upon Euryalus,
crying out that his life should pay the penalty for
both. Great was the agony of Nisus at seeing his
friend about to be put to death, and starting from
his concealment, he exclaimed aloud, " I am he who
did the deed. Turn your arms therefore on me."

" Me ! me ! (he cried) turn all your swords alone
On me --the fact confessed, the fault my own.
His only crime (if friendship can offend)
Js too much love to his unhappy friend.'5

DRYDEN, &neid< BOOK I.K

149

But vain was the effort of Nisus to save his friend,
for scarce had his last word been spoken when
Euryalus fell lifeless to the earth, pierced by the
weapon of Volcens. Filled with grief and rage,
and eager to avenge the death of his companion,
Nisus rushed into the midst of the foe, seeking
only Volcens, and though blows showered upon him
from all sides, he pressed on until coming up to the
Latian chief, he slew him with a single thrust of his
sword. Then covered with wounds, the brave Tro-
jan dropped dead, falling upon the body of the
friend he had so loved. Thus these two sons of
Troy, companions in life, were companions also
in death. Their friendship, immortalized by the
Roman poet, became proverbial.

O happy friends ! for, if my verse can give
Immortal life, your fame shall ever live,
Fixed as the Capitol's foundation lies,
And spread, where'er the Roman eagle flies !

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK IX.

Early in the morning Turnus called his men to
arms, and with loud shouts all rushed forward to
the Trojan ramparts. Then a fierce conflict took
place during which many heroes fell on both sides,
after performing wonderful feats of valor. There
was a wooden tower of great height and strength
which stood outside the wall, and was connected

150

with it by bridges. The Rutulians made great
efforts to break down this tower, while the Trojans
defended it by hurling stones upon the enemy, and
casting darts at them through loopholes. So the
struggle continued until Turnus with a flaming-
torch set the building on fire.

Fierce Turnus first a firebrand flings ;
It strikes the sides, takes hold, and clings ;
The freshening breezes spread the blaze,
And soon on plank and beam it preys.
The inmates flutter in dismay

And vainly wish to fly;
There as they huddle and retire
Back to the part which 'scapes the fire,
Sudden the o'erweighted mass gives way,

And falling, shakes the sky.

CONINGTOK, ^Eneid, BOOK IX.

Only two of the occupants of the tower — Hel'e-
nor and Lycus — escaped destruction in its fall, but
on emerging from the ruins they found themselves
in the midst of the Rutulians. Helenor seeing no
chance of savins;' his life, faced his foes like a lion

and died in the thick of the fight. Lycus, who was
a swift runner, fled towards the walls, dashing-
through the lines of the enemy. He had almost
grasped the summit of the rampart and reached the
outstretched hands of his friends when Turnus, who
had darted in pursuit, dragged him to the ground,

and slew him, while he taunted him, saying, " Fool,
didst thou hope to be able to escape our hands ? '

The battle now became more furious. From
every quarter were heard shouts of fighting men
and clashing of arms. Amongst the heroes of the
clay was young lulus, hitherto accustomed to use
his weapons only in the chase. His first arrow in
war was now aimed against the brother-in-law of
Turnus, a chief named Nu-ma'nus, who fought not
only with sword but with his tongue, mocking at
the Trojans in a loud voice, in front of the Latian
lines. " Are you not ashamed, Trojans," cried he,
" to be a second time shut up behind walls ? What
madness has brought you to Italy ? Know that it
is not Grecians, nor the crafty Ulysses, you have
now to deal with. We are a hardy race. We dip
our infants in the rivers to inure them to cold. Our
boys are trained to hunt in the woods. Our whole
life is spent in arms. Age does not impair our
courage or vigor. As for you, your very dress is em-
broidered with yellow and purple; indolence is your
delight ; you love to indulge in dancing and such
frivolous pleasures. Women you are, and not men.
Leave fighting to warriors and handle not the sword."

" Leave men, like us, in arms to deal
Nor bruise your lily hands with steel."

CONINGTON, SEneid^ BOOK IX.

IS2

The spirited young Trojan prince could not pa-
tiently endure these insults, and so drawing his bow-
string and praying to Father Jupiter, he sent forth
his steel-tipped arrow. Whizzing through the air
the weapon pierced the head of Numanus, and at the
same moment lulus exclaimed, " Vain boaster, this is
our answer to your insults." With shouts of joy
the Trojans applauded the deed, and loud were
their praises of the valor of their young chief.
Even from on high came approving words, for just
then the fair-haired Apollo, seated on a cloud, was
watching the conflict. And thus spoke the god in
a loud voice, " Go on and increase in valor, O youth.
Such is the path-way to immortality, thou art the
descendant of gods, and from whom gods are to
descend."

Uttering these words Apollo came down from the
sky, and taking the appearance of Bu'tes, formerly
the armor-bearer of Anchises, but now the guardian
of lulus, walked by the young prince's side and ad-
dressed him, saying, " Son of /Eneas, let it be enough
for thee that by thine arrow Numanus has fallen.
Apollo has granted to thee this glory ; but take no
further part in the conflict." Then the god, throw-
ing off his disguise, ascended to the heavens. The
Trojan chiefs recognized him as he departed, and
thus knowing that it was the divine will, they caused

Drawn /<y Trniitscliold.

APOLLO VANISIIIM; \i TER CAUTIOM.M; IULUS.

(153)

lulus to retire, while they themselves again rushed
forward to the battle —

They bend their bows; they whirl their slings around;
Heaps of spent arrows fall, and strew the ground;
And helms, and shields, and rattling arms, resound.

DRYDEN, JEneid, BOOK IX.

At this point two brothers, Pan'da-rus and Bit'i-as,
sons of the Trojan Al-ca'non, of Mount Ida, tall and
powerful youths, threw open the gate at which they
were posted as sentinels, and standing within, one
on each side, they challenged the foe to enter. The
Rutulians rushed forward as soon as they saw the
passage open. Several of them were slain at the
threshold by the valiant brothers. Then some of
the Trojans sallied out beyond the rampart, and a
fierce fight took place. King Turnus, hearing of
these events, hurried to the gate, and joining in the
battle, slew many of the Trojan warriors. He
hurled a dart at Bitias, and so great was the force
of the blow that not even the huge sentinel's shield,

formed of two bull's hides, nor his breastplates with
double scales of gold, could resist it.

Not two bull-hides the impetuous force withhold,
Nor coat of double mail, with scales of gold.
Down sunk the monster-bulk, and pressed the ground,
His arms and clattering shield on the vast body sound.

DRYDEN sEneid, BOOK IX.

155

When Pandarus beheld his brother stretched dead
on the ground, and saw that the battle was Coiner

o o o

against the Trojans, he elosed the gate, moving it
upon its hinges and fastening it in its place with the
strength of his broad shoulders. Some of his own
people were thus shut out and left in the midst of
the enemy, but in his hurry Pandarus did not notice
that amongst those who were shut in was the fierce

*&•

King Turnus.

Fond fool ! amidst the noise and din
He saw not Turnus rushing in,
But closed him in the embattled hold,
A tiger in a helpless fold.

CONINGTON, ALneid^ BOOK IX.

As soon as Pandarus saw what had happened, he
hurled a spear with mighty force at the Rutulian king,
eager to avenge his brother's death, but Juno turn-
ing the weapon aside, it struck into the gate, where
it remained fixed. Then Turnus slew Pandarus with
a swift stroke of his sword, exclaiming, " Not so shall
you escape." The Trojans who witnessed the deed,
fled terrified from the spot, and if Turnus at this
moment had opened the gate and admitted his Rutu-
lian warriors, that clay would have been the last of
the war and of the Trojan race.

The Trojans fly in wild dismay;
O, then had Turnus thought

1 56

To force the fastenings of the gates
And call within his valiant mates,
The nation and the war that day
Alike to end had brought!

CONINGTON, sEneid, BOOK IX.

But Turnus thought only of slaying his foes who
were at hand and so he speedily put many of them
to the sword. The Trojan chiefs Mnestheus and
Sergestus, as soon as they heard that their people
were fleeing before the Rutulian king, hastened up
and reproved them in severe words. " Whither do
you flee?' cried Mnestheus. "What other fortifi-
cations have you but this ? Shall one man be per-
mitted to work such destruction in our camp? Are
you not ashamed? Have you no regard for your
unhappy country, your ancient gods, or your great
leaders ? "

Touched by these words, and inspired with fresh
courage, the Trojans formed themselves into a solid
body. Then turning round they made a firm stand
against the Rutulian chief, who now began to
retreat towards that part of the camp which was
bounded by the river. The Trojans advanced
upon him with loud shouts, yet the brave king
would fain have resisted. As when a troop of
hunters press upon a fierce lion, the savage animal,
too courageous to fly, yet dares not face the num-
bers and weapons of his assailants, so Turnus with

157

reluctant steps drew backwards; yet twice again he
attacked the Trojans and twice drove them along
the walls. At length gathering from all parts of
the camp, the Trojans made a united advance and
Turnus, no longer able to withstand the assaults of
his foes, fled to the river, and plunging in, was soon
in the midst of his friends who received him with
joyous acclamation.

O'er all his limbs dark sweat-drops break;
No time to breathe; thick pantings shake

His vast and laboring frame.
At length, accoutred as he stood,
Headlong he plunged into the flood.
The yellow flood the charge received,
With buoyant tide his weight upheaved,
And cleansing off the encrusted gore,
Returned him to his friends once more.

CONINGTON, Mneid* BOOK IX.

IX. THE COUNCIL OF THE GODS — RETURN
OF ^NEAS — BATTLE ON THE SHORE-
DEATH OF PALLAS.

MEANWHILE the king of heaven who had been
watching the conflict on the banks of the Tiber,
called a council of the o-ods to consider whether it

would not be well to put an end to the quarrel be-
tween Juno and Venus over the fortunes of the
Trojans. The divinities assembled in their golden
council chamber on Mount Olympus and Jupiter
addressed them. " Ye gods," said he, " why do you
seek to alter the decrees of heaven? It was my de-
sire that the Italians should not make war upon the
men of Troy. Why then have you incited them to
arms? The time for conflict between the two
races favored by Juno and Venus has not yet come.
That time will be hereafter when the Carthaginians

shall put forth their efforts to ruin Rome. Then
indeed you shall be free to take either side in the
contest. For the present cease your quarrels, and
let the league agreed upon between ^neas and

Latinus be ratified."

[158]

159

Thus spoke the king of heaven. Then Venus
addressed the gods in behalf of her son, whose
sufferings, she said, were due to the hatred of
Juno. She recounted the various attempts of
the unforgiving queen to destroy the Trojans —
how /Eolus at her bidding had sent his storms to
scatter the fleet of /Eneas, how Iris, her messenger,
had induced the Trojan women to set fire to the
ships at Drepanum, and how at her request the Fury
Alecto had incited Oueen Amatu and Kinsf Turnus

*"*-' C?

to war against the men of Troy.

Juno next addressed the council, and spoke many
bitter words against /Eneas and the Trojans, who,
she declared, were themselves to blame for all the
evils that had come upon them. The Greek war
against Troy had not been caused by her, but by
the Trojan Paris, and for his conduct in carrying off
Helen, Venus was responsible. As to the troubles
in Italy, it was true that /Eneas had sailed to that
country by the will of the fates, but why, she asked,
did he stir up war among Italian nations that had
before been at peace.

Juno having finished her speech against the Tro-
jans, and none of the other divinities desiring to
take part in the controversy, Jupiter then delivered
judgment, declaring that as the quarrel between
the two goddesses could not be amicably settled, nor

i6o

peace brought about between the Trojans and Ital-
ians, the fates should take their course.

" Since Troy with Latium must contend,
And these your wranglings find no end,
Let each man use his chance to day
And carve his fortune as he may ;
Each warrior from his own good lance
Shall reap the fruit of toil or chance ;
Jove deals to all an equal lot,
And Fate shall loose or cut the knot."

CONINGTON, sEneid) BOOK IX,

Thus ended the council of the gods, and so by the
decree of the king of heaven the quarrel between
the Trojans and Italians was left to the fortune of
war.

Meanwhile the Trojans in, the camp on the Tiber
were being hard pressed by the enemy. As soon as
Turnus had rejoined his army, the attack on the
ramparts was renewed with increased vigor, and the
brave Mnestheus and his companions, their forces
now much reduced in number, were beginning to
lose hope.

Hopeless of flight, more hopeless of relief,

Thin on the towers they stand; and e'en those few,

A feeble, fainting, and dejected crew.

DRYDEN, &neid^ BOOK X.

But /Eneas was hastening to the rescue. Having
formed the league with Tarchon, he lost no time in

preparing to return to his friends. Many other
chiefs of Etruria joined their forces to the expedi-
tion, and all placed themselves under the command
of /Eneas, in accordance with the will of the gods
that only under a foreign leader could they be suc-
cessful in the war against the Rutulians.

When everything was ready for departure they
embarked on a fleet of thirty ships, and sailed down
the Tyr-rhe'ni-an Sea, along the Etrurian coast,
towards the mouth of the Tiber, ^neas led the
way in his own galley, and with him was young
Pallas, the son of Evander. During the voyage he
learned in a strange manner of the perilous situa-
tion of his people in the camp. It was night, and as
he was seated at the helm, for his anxiety permitted
him not to sleep, a number of sea-nymphs appeared
swimming by the side of his ship. One of them,
Cym-o-do-ce'a by name, grasped the stern of the
vessel with her right hand, while with her left she
gently rowed her way through the waves. Then
she addressed the Trojan chief. " Son of the gods,"
said she, " we are the pines of Mount Ida, at one
time your fleet, but now nymphs of the sea. The
Rutulian king would have destroyed us with fire had
it not been permitted to us by the mother of the
gods to burst our cables, and assume our present
form. We come to tell you that your son Ascanius

STO. OF AENEAS — II

1 62

is besieged in the camp, and pressed on all sides
by the Latian foe. Be ready then at the dawn of
morning with your troops, and bear with you to the
fiorht the arms and armor which Vulcan has made.

To-morrow's sun shall see many of the Rutulian
enemy slain."

She ceased, and parting, to the bark

A measured impulse gave;
Like wind-swift arrow to its mark

It darts along the wave.
The rest pursue. In wondering awe
The chief revolves the things he saw.

CONINGTON; sEneid^ BOOK X.

At dawn of morning the fleet came within view
of the Trojan camp. Then /Eneas standing on the
deck of his own vessel, held aloft his bright shield
made by Vulcan. His people saw it from the ram-
parts, and shouted loud with joy, and now, their
hope being revived, they assailed the enemy with
fresh courage. The Rutulians and Latians were

amazed at this sudden change, not knowing the

O ' O

cause, but looking back, they too beheld the fleet
approaching the shore.

The brave Turnus however was not dismayed at
the sight. On the contrary he resolved to give
battle to the new foe without delay, and so address-
ing his men he bade them fight valiantly for their

163

homes and country, remembering the glorious deeds
of their ancestors.

" Your sires, your sons, your houses, and your lands,
And dearest wives, are all within your hands ;
Be mindful of the race from whence you came,
And emulate in arms your fathers' fame."

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK X.

Then he hurried to the shore with the main body
of his army, and /Eneas having already landed his
companions and allies, a fierce battle began. The
Trojan hero performed wonderful feats of valor.
First he attacked the Latian troops, who were in
front of the hosts of the enemy, and he slew their
leader The'ron, a warrior of giant size. Through
his brazen shield and golden coat of mail /Eneas
smote him with his sword. Next he slew Lycas,
and then Cis'seus and Gyas, tall men and powerful,
who, with clubs like the club of Hercules, had been
striking down the Trojans. Then a band of seven
warrior brothers, the sons of Phorcus, attacked the
Trojan chief, hurling seven darts upon him all
too'ether, some of which rebounded from his shield,

and some, turned aside by Venus, harmlessly grazed
his skin. /Eneas now called to the faithful Achates
to bring him darts — those with which on the plains
of Troy the bodies of Grecian warriors had been
pierced —

164

" Those iatal weapons, which, inured to blood,
In Grecian bodies under Ilium stood ;
Not one of those my hand shall toss in vain
Against our foes, on this contended plain."

DRYDEN, jEneid, BOOK X

Grasping a mighty spear, as soon as these weapons
were brought to him, /Eneas hurled it at Macon,
one of the brothers. It pierced through his shield
and breastplate, and he fell mortally wounded. At
his brother Alcanor, who had run to his relief, /Eneas
cast another dart, which penetrated his shoulder,
leaving the warrior's arm hanging lifeless by his
body. And now Hal-ae'sus with his Auruncian
bands, and Messapus, the son of Neptune, conspicu-
ous with his steeds, hastened up to encounter /Eneas.
The fight then became more furious and many were
slain on both sides.

Thus Trojan and Italian meet,
With face to face, and feet to feet,
And hand close pressed to hand.

CONINGTON, SEneid, BOOK X.

In another quarter of the field young Pallas,
fighting at the head of his Arcadian horsemen, slew
many chiefs of the Latians and Rutulians. Opposed
to him was Lausus, son of the tyrant Mezentius.
Lausus being hard pressed by the Arcadians, King
Turnus was called to his assistance, and rushing up

ie>5

he cried to the Rutulians, " Desist you for a moment
from the battle. 1 alone will fight Pallas. Would
that his father were here to see." H earing these

words the brave son of Evander advanced boldly
into the open plain between the two hosts. The
hearts of his Arcadian followers were filled with
dread at seeing their young chief about to engage
in single combat with so great a warrior as the
Rutulian king. Turnus sprang down from his
chariot, to meet his foe on foot.

And, as a lion- -when he spies from far

A bull that seems to meditate the war,

Bending his neck, and spurning back the sand —

Runs roaring downward from his hilly stand ;

Imagine eager Turnus not more slow

To rush from high on his unequal foe.

DKYDEN, /Eneid, BOOK X.

Then Pallas prayed to Hercules, once his father's
guest, to help him. Hercules in his place in heaven,
hearing the prayer, groaned in distress and poured
forth tears, for he knew that the fate of the brave
vouth could not be averted. Noticing the grief of

J O O

his son, almighty Father Jupiter spoke to him in
comforting words. " To every one," said he, " his
period of life is fixed. Short is the time allotted to
all, but it is the part of the brave man to lengthen
out fame by glorious deeds. Many even of the sons

1 66

of the gods have fallen under the lofty walls of Troy.
Turnus too awaits his destiny, and already he has
nearly arrived at the limit of existence left to him."
So saying the king of heaven turned his eyes from
the scene of battle.

Pallas now hurled his spear with great force.
The weapon struck the armor of Turnus near his
shoulder, and piercing through it, grazed his body.
Then Turnus poising his sharp steel-tipped javelin,
darted it at Pallas. Through the centre of his
many-plated shield and the folds of his corselet the
fatal shaft passed into the breast of the brave youth,
inflicting a mortal wound. Down on the earth he
fell, and Turnus approaching the dead body ex-
claimed, "You Arcadians carry these my words to
your king. In such plight as he deserved I send his
son back to him. His league of friendship with
^Eneas shall cost him dear."

Then Turnus stripped from the body of Pallas
a beautiful belt, embossed with figures carved in

gold, and putting it on his own armor, triumphed
in the spoil. It proved to be a fatal possession for
Turnus.

O mortals! blind in fate who never know
To bear high fortune, or endure the low!
The time shall come when Turnus, but in vain,
Shall wish untouched the trophies of the slain —

... j^-. I

1 68

Shall wish the fatal belt were far away,
And curse the dire remembrance of the day.

DRYDEX. JEneid^ BOOK X.

The body of the brave young prince was laid
upon his shield, and borne away from the field of
battle, accompanied by a numerous retinue of his
sorrowing friends.

O sad, proud thought, that thus a son

Should reach a father's door!
This day beheld your wars begun;

This day beholds them o'er,

CONINGTON, /Eneid^ BOOK X.

The news of the fate of Pallas soon reached /Eneas,
who was deeply distressed at the thought of the
sorrow the youth's death would bring upon his aged
father Evander. Eager for vengeance, he hastened
through the battle field in search of Turnus, slaying
many chiefs of the enemy whom he encountered on
his way. But he was not yet to meet the Rutulian
king face to face, for Juno, by Jupiter's permission,
led Turnus off the field, and saved him for a time
from the wrath of the Trojan hero. Out of a hollow
cloud she fashioned a phantom with the shape, like-
ness and voice of /Eneas, and caused it to appear
before Turnus, as if challenging him to combat.

A phantom in ^Eneas' mould
She fashions, wondrous to behold,
Of hollow shadowy cloud,

169

Bids it the Dardan arms assume,
The shield, the helmet, and the plume,
Gives soulless words of swelling tone,
And motions like the hero's own,
As stately and as proud.

CONINGTON, SEneid, BOOK X.

The Rutulian king bravely advanced to attack the
supposed Trojan chief, upon which the spectre,
wheeling about, hastily retreated towards the river.
Turnus followed, loudly upbraiding /Eneas as a
coward. It happened that at the shore there was a
ship, connected with the land by a plank bridge or
gangway. Into this ship the phantom fled, closely
pursued by Turnus; and no sooner had the latter
reached the deck of the vessel than Juno, bursting
the cables which held it to the bank, sent it floating
down the stream. Then the figure of cloud, soaring
aloft, vanished into the air, and Turnus knew that
he had been deceived.

He was much distressed at being thus separated
from his brave followers, and mortified at the
thought that they might think he had deserted
them in the hour of danger. In his grief he at-
tempted to destroy his own life with his sword, but
Juno restrained him, and the ship, wafted along by
favoring wind and tide, bore him to Ardea, the capi-
tal city of his own country, where his father, King
D aim us, resided.

Meanwhile, on the battle field, the Etrurian king,
Mezentius, who had taken the place of Turnus,
attacked the Trojans with great fury. He had
slain many valiant warriors when /Eneas espying
him from a distance, hurried forward to encounter
him. Mezentius stood firm, and relying on his
strong arm and his weapons, rather than on divine
aid (being a despiser of the gods) he cast a spear at
the Trojan leader. The missile struck the hero's
shield, but it was the shield which Vulcan had
made, and could not be pierced by earthly weapon.
Then /Eneas hurled his javelin. Through the
triple plates of brass, and the triple bull-hide cover-
ing of the Etrurian king's shield it passed, and,
lodging in his groin, inflicted a severe, though not
fatal, wound. Instantly the Trojan chief rushed,
with sword in hand, upon his foe, as, disabled, he
was about to withdraw from the conflict. But at
this moment young Lausus, the son of Mezentius,
sprang forward and received on his sword the blow
that had been intended for his father.

The pious youth, resolved on death, below
The lifted sword, springs forth to face the foe;
Protects his parent, and prevents the blow.

DRVDEN, sEneid^ BOOK X.

But Lausus was no match for the veteran Trojan
warrior. Yet /Eneas, admiring his courage and filial

devotion, would fain have spared the brave youth.
"Why do you attempt," said he, "what you have not
strength to accomplish ? You do but rush to your
own destruction." Regardless, however, of danger,
the gallant Lausus fought till he fell lifeless on

o o

the earth. /Eneas was touched with pity at the
sicrht, for he thought of his own son, and of how he

o o

himself had loved his own father. Then, he tenderly
lifted the body from the ground, and consigned it
to the care of his friends. They carried it to Mezen-
tius, who was resting on the river bank, after
having bathed his wounds in the water. When he
beheld the lifeless form, the unhappy man burst
into tears, and bitterly lamented his own misdeeds
which had brought such calamities upon him —
banishment from his throne and country, and now,
worst of all, the loss of his son. " Why do I live,
my son," cried he, " at the cost of thy life ? My
crimes have been the cause of thy death."

" Dear child! I stained your glorious name
By my own crimes, driven out to shame
From my ancestral reign;
My country's vengeance claimed my blood;
Ah! had that tainted, guilty flood . ^

Been shed from every vein !
Now 'mid my kind I linger still
And live; but leave the light I will."

CONINCTON, AZneid, BOOK X.

Then though he was suffering much from the pain
of his wound, he called for his horse, the gallant steed
Rhcebus, which had borne him victorious through
many a fight. The animal seemed to feel the grief
of its master, and to understand the words he spoke :
" Long, Rhcebus," said he, " have we lived, compan-
ions in war, — if indeed the life of mortals can be
said to be long. But to-day we shall either die
together, or bear away the body of /Eneas, and so
avenge the death of Lausus.'

Mounting his horse, and filling both hands with
javelins Mezentius then rode rapidly to the scene
of conflict, calling loudly for /Eneas. The Trojan
chief knew the voice, and eager for the encounter,
he quickly advanced. But the brave Etrurian, fear-
ing not to meet his foe, cried out, " Cruel man, you
cannot terrify me, now that my son is snatched from
me. I am not afraid of death, for I have come to
die. First, however, take these gifts which I bring
for you." Thus speaking he hurled a dart at the
Trojan leader, and then another and another, and
three times he rode in a circle round the hero,
casting javelins at him. But the weapons of
Mezentius could not pass through the celestial
shield of /Eneas, though they fixed themselves in it,
and there were so many that they resembled a
grove of spears.

173

Thrice, fiercely hurling spears on spears,

From right to left he wheeled;
Thrice, facing round as he careers,
The steely grove the Trojan bears,

Thick planted on his shield.

At length ^neas hurled a javelin at the warrior's
horse, striking it between the temples. The animal
reared, beating the air with its hoofs, and rolling over
its rider, pinned him to the earth. Then the Trojan
chief rushed, sword in hand, upon his fallen foe, and
the brave Mezentius died asking only the favor of
burial for his body.

" For this, this only favor, let me sue;
If pity can to conquered foes be due,
Refuse it not; but let my body have
The last retreat of human-kind, a grave.
This refuge for my poor remains provide;
And lay my much-loved Lausus by my side."

DRYDEN, Mneid^ BOOK X.

X. FUNERAL OF PALLAS — ^NEAS AND
TURNUS FIGHT— TURNUS IS SLAIN.

WITH the death of Mezentius the battle of the
day came to an end. Early next morning y^Eneas
offered sacrifices to the gods in thanksgiving for
his victory. On a rising ground he caused to be
erected the trunk of a huge oak, with its boughs
lopped off. Upon this he hung as an offering to the
war-god Mars, the arms that had been borne by the
Etrurian king — his crest, and his broken spears,
his breastplate, showing the marks of many blows,
his shield of brass, and his ivory-hilted sword. Then
he spoke words of encouragement to his chiefs and
companions.

" Brother warriors, our most important work is
done. Henceforth we need have no fear. Having

vanquished the tyrant Mezentius, the way lies open
for us to the Latian capital. Make ready your arms
so that there may be no obstacle to detain us when
the proper moment arrives for leading forth our vali-
ant youth from the camp. Meanwhile let us com-
mit to the earth the bodies of our dead friends. It

[174]

175

is the sole honor remaining for us to pay to the
heroic men who, with their lives, have won for us a
country to dwell in. But first, to the mourning city
of Evander let the body of the noble Pallas be
conveyed."

"Brave Pallas, heir of high renown,
Whose hopeful day has set too soon,
O'ercast by darkness ere its noon."

CONINGTON, sE tiei'd, BOOK XI,

The obsequies of the young prince were carried
out on a scale of great magnificence. A thousand
men formed the funeral procession. The body was
dressed in rich robes, stiff with embroidery of gold
and purple, which Queen Dido with her own hands
had wrought for /Eneas. Beside the bier were

borne the dead youth's arms, and the spoils he had
won in battle. His war-horse /Ethon, too, was led
along, big tear drops running down the animal's
cheeks, as if it shared in the general sorrow.

Then /Ethon comes, his trappings doffed,

The warrior's gallant horse ;
Big drops of pity oft and oft
Adown his visage course.

CONINGTON, JEneid, BOOK XI.

Behind followed the numerous escort of Trojan,
Etrurian 4 and Arcadian warriors, and the long pro-
cession passed on with a last sacl adieu from the

176

Trojan chief. " By the same fearful fate of war,"
said he, " I am called to other scenes of woe. Fare-
well, noble Pallas, farewell, forever." When the sor-
rowing cortege reached Pallanteum, the whole city
was in mourning. To the gates the people has-
tened in vast numbers bearing funeral torches in

their hands, according to ancient custom, and Tro-
jans and Arcadians joined in loud lamentations.

Both parties meet ; they raise a doleful cry ;
The matrons from the walls with shrieks reply ;
And their mixed mourning rends the vaulted sky.

DRVDEN, JEneid, BOOK XI.

King Evander distracted with grief, prostrated
himself upon the bier, and clasping in his arms the
body of his son, poured out a flood of tears, bewail-
ing the unhappy fate which left him childless in his
old age.

Meantime, y^Eneas and the Latian chiefs agreed
upon a truce of twelve days for the burial of the
dead of both armies, which lay scattered over the
battle field. While this sad duty was being per-
formed, King Latinus and his counsellors consid-
ered what was best to be done, after the truce —
whether to continue the war, or to propose terms of
peace. They had sent ambassadors to solicit help
from Di-o-me'de, one of the Grecian heroes of the
Trojan war, who, after the siege, had settled in Apulia

177

in Italy, and built the city of Ar-gyr'i-pa, where he
now resided. But Diomecle refused to fight against
^Eneas, and he reminded the Latians that all who
had raised the sword against Troy had suffered
grievous punishments. " I myself," said he, " am an
exile from my native country, and dire calamities
have fallen upon many of my people. Ask me not,
therefore, to quarrel with the Trojans. How mighty
their leader is in battle I know by experience, for I
have engaged him hand to hand. Had Troy pro-
duced two other such heroes, it would have fared ill
with Greece. It was Hector and ^Eneas who held
back the victory of our countrymen for ten years —
both distinguished for valor and noble feats of arms,
but the son of Anchises excelling in reverence for

the gods. With him, therefore, men of Latium, I
advise you to join in a league of friendship, if by
any means you can do it. Beware, however, of en-
countering him in war."

The ambassadors delivered this message to Kin^

o o

Latinus as he was sitting in his council chamber
with his chief men around him. The kins: once

more earnestly advised that they should make peace
with the Trojans, and give them lands to settle on,
if they still desired to dwell in Latium, or build for
them a new fleet if they were willing to withdraw
from Italy and seek homes in some other country.

STO. OF AENEAS — 12

178

He also advised that they should send these pro-
posals to the Trojan camp.

"To treat the peace, a hundred senators
Shall be commissioned hence with ample powers,
With olive crowned ; the presents they shall bear,
A purple robe, a royal ivory chair,
And sums of gold. Among yourselves debate
This great affair, and save the sinking state."

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK XI.

King Turnus was present at this council, and there
was also present a Latian named Dran'ces, a very
eloquent man, but not a warrior.

— Bold at the council board,
But cautious in the field, he shunned the sword.

DRYDEN, JEneid^ BOOK XI.

Drances spoke in support of the advice given by
Latinus. He also said that one more gift should
be sent to ^Eneas, namely, the fair Lavinia, since by
no other means could peace be more firmly estab-
lished than by a marriage between the Latian prin-
cess and the Trojan hero. Then addressing Turnus,
the bold Drances reproached him with having
brought upon his country all the horrors of war to
gratify his ambition for the honor of a royal wife.
" You Turnus," said he, " are the cause of the evils
which afflict us. It is through you that so many of
our chiefs have perished on the battle field, and that

179

our whole city is in mourning. Have you no pity
for your own people ? Lay aside your fierceness,
and give up this hopeless contest. But if you are
still eager for glory in war, and must have a king-
dom with your wife, then take all the risk yourself,
and do not ask others to expose themselves to dan-
ger for you. y^Eneas has challenged you to single
combat If you have any valor, go and fight with
him."

Enraged at this speech, Turnus angrily replied —
" Drances, you have always many words when deeds
are required. But this is not the time to fill the
chamber with words, which come in torrents from
you so long as you are in safety with strong walls
between you and the foe. You charge me with
cowardice, you, the valiant Drances, whose right
hand, forsooth, has piled up so many trophies of
victory on the field ! There is an opportunity for
you now, however, to put your valor to the proof,
for we have not far to go in search of the enemy.
Why do you hesitate to march against them ? '

Then speaking to the king, Turnus earnestly
entreated him not to give up the fight because of
one defeat. " We have still," said he, " ample re-
sources and fresh troops, and many Italian cities
and nations are in alliance with us. The Trojans
as well as ourselves have suffered heavy loss. Why

i8o

then should we permit fear to overcome us almost
at the beginning of the struggle ? If the Trojans
demand that I alone shall fight their leader, gladly
will I advance against him, even though he prove
himself as great a warrior as Achilles, and sheath
himself in armor forged by the hands of Vulcan."
Turnus had scarcely finished speaking, when a
messenger rushed into the palace with the alarming
intelligence that the Trojan and Etrurian armies
had quitted their camp on the bank of the Tiber,
and were marching toward the city. Instantly all
was confusion and dismay in the council.

A turmoil takes the public mind;
Their passions flame, by furious wind

To conflagration blown;
At once to arms they fain would fly;
" To arms! " the youth impatient cry;

The old men weep and moan.

CONINGTON, sEneid, BOOK XI.

Turnus was quick to take advantage of this
altered state of affairs. " Citizens," he exclaimed,
" will you still persist in talking about peace even
now that the enemy is almost at your doors?'
Then, withdrawing from the council chamber, he
hastened to onve orders to his Rutulian chiefs to

get the troops ready for immediate action — some
to lead the armed horsemen out upon the plain,

others to man the towers, others to follow him where
he should command. The Latians, too, excited to
ardor by the approach of the enemy, rushed to arms,
and soon the whole city was in warlike commotion.

Some help to sink new trenches; others aid

To ram the stones, or raise the palisade.

Hoarse trumpets sound the alarm; around the walls

Runs a distracted crew, whom their last labor calls.

DRYDKX, AZneid, BOOK XI.

In the midst of the excitement, Queen Amata
and her daughter Lavinia, attended by a great
number of matrons, repaired in procession to the
temple of Minerva, and prayed to the goddess, to
break the Trojan pirate's spear, and lay him pros-
trate in death under the city's walls. Meanwhile,
Turnus, armed for battle, went forth from the
palace, and hastened towards the plain to join his
brave Rutulians. At the gate he was met by the
Volscian Queen Camilla, at the head of a troop of
female warriors, all on horseback. The brave queen
requested that she and her companions should have
the honor of being the first to encounter the Trojan
host. " Noble heroine," replied the Rutulian chief,
" how can I express my thanks ? Since such is
your spirit, I am willing that you should share the
dangers with us. /Eneas has sent his horsemen to
scour the plain, while he himself is marching through

182

a secluded valley with his foot soldiers to take the
city by surprise. This we learn from our scouts.
Now I will beset him on the way with an armed
band, and to you I assign the task of engaging the
Etrurian horsemen. The brave Messapus and the
Latian troops will be with you, and under your
command."

Camilla and her troop performed prodigies of
valor in the battle which now took place on the plain
before the city. Many Trojan and Etrurian warriors
fell, stricken down by the darts or pierced by the
sword of the brave heroine. On both sides the battle
was maintained with the utmost bravery. Twice
the Trojans and their Tuscan allies drove the Latians
flying to the walls, and twice the Latians, facing
about, furiously drove back the Trojans.

Twice were the Tuscans masters of the field,
Twice by the Latins, in their turn, repelled.
Ashamed at length, to the third charge they ran —
Both hosts resolved, and mingled man to man.
Now dying groans are heard; the fields are strewed,
With falling bodies, and are drunk with blood.
Arms, horses, men, on heaps together lie;
Confused the fight, and more confused the cry.

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK XI.

The battle continued to rage furiously, and it
seemed doubtful which side would win, until Camilla
was slain by the Etruscan Aruns, who had been

183

watching for an opportunity to cast a spear at the
queen.

This way and that his winding course he bends,
And wheresoe'er she turns, her steps attends.

DRYDEN, sEiieid^ BOOK XI.

There was in the Trojan army a warrior, and priest
of Cybele, named Chlo'reus, conspicuous on the field
by the rich trappings of his horse and his own glit-
tering arms and attire. He wore a purple robe, his
helmet and the bow which hung from his shoulders
were of gold ; his saffron colored scarf was fastened
with a gold clasp ; and his tunic was embroidered
with needle-work. Camilla seeing these beautiful
and costly things, became eager to possess them,
and so she pursued Chloreus over the field of battle.

Him the fierce maid beheld with ardent eyes,
Fond and ambitious of so rich a prize,
Blind in her haste, she chases him alone,
And seeks his life, regardless of her own.

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK XI.

Thus she furnished the opportunity desired by
Aruns, who, from a covert in which he lay concealed,
hurled a dart at the queen as, heedless of danger,
she rode in pursuit of Chloreus. The weapon pierced
her body and she sank down lifeless.

The fortune of the day now turned to the side of
the Trojans. Dismayed by the loss of their brave

1 84

leader Camilla, the Volscian troops fled from the
field. The Rutulian captains, also losing courage,
sought safety in flight, and soon the whole Italian
army was in full retreat towards the city, hotly pur-
sued by the Trojans. At the gates many were
trampled to death in the wild rush to get within,
while many more were slain by the swords of the
enemy pressing on behind.

Then, in a fright, the folding gates they close,
But leave their friends excluded with their foes.
The vanquished cry; the victors loudly shout;
'Tis terror all within, and slaughter all without.

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK XI.

When Turnus heard that Camilla had fallen, that
the Trojans had been victorious in the battle, and
that all was confusion and terror within the walls,
he immediately quitted the post where he had been
lying in wait for /Eneas, and hurried towards the
city. Almost at the same moment the Trojan chief
issued forth from the valley. Both armies and both
leaders were now in sight of each other and both
were eager for battle, but night coming on, they
pitched their tents and encamped in front of the
town.

But the Latians were now disheartened, and
Turnus saw they were no longer willing to con-

J O O

tinue a struggle which seemed hopeless. He

i85

himself, however, was still determined not to yield,
and he resolved to encounter /Eneas in single com-
bat. " With my own right hand," said he, " I shall
slay the Trojan adventurer, while the Latians sit
still and look on, and if he vanquish me, let him
rule over us, and have Lavinia for his bride." King
Latinus endeavored to dissuade him from this dan-
gerous enterprise. " Turnus," said he, " you are
heir to the kingdom of your father Daunus. There
are other high-born maidens in Latium, from whom
you may chose a wife. It was decreed by the
gods that Lavinia should wred no prince of Italy,
yet through affection for you, and yielding to the
prayers of my queen, I permitted the Latians to
make war against him to whom, in accordance with
the will of heaven, my daughter was promised. You
see what calamities have come upon us in conse-
quence. In two great battles we have been de-
feated, and now we are scarce able to defend
ourselves in our capital city. If upon your death I
am resolved to make an alliance with the Trojans,
is it not better to put an end to the war while you
are still alive ? '

Queen Amata also entreated Turnus not to risk
his life in an engagement with the Trojan chief.
" Whatever fortune awaits you, Turnus," she said,
"awaits me also. I shall not live and see /Eneas

1 86

my son-in-law." The fair Lavinia was present
during her mother's passionate appeal, but she ex-
pressed her feeling only by tears and modest
blushes.

— A flood of tears Lavinia shed;
A crimson blush her beauteous face o'erspread,
Varying her cheeks by turns with white and red.
Delightful change! Thus Indian ivory shows,
Which with the bordering paint of purple glows;
Or lilies damasked by the neighboring rose.

DKYDEN, JEneid, BOOK XII.

But Turnus would not listen to the advice of
King Latinus or Queen Amata and so he sent his
herald Idmon with a challenge to /Eneas. " Tell

him," said he, "not to lead his men .against the
Rutulians to-morrow. Let both our armies rest,
while by his sword and mine the war shall be
decided." /Eneas, who had himself already pro-
posed this method of settling the quarrel, rejoiced
to hear that now at length the war was to be
brought to an end on such terms. He therefore

gladly accepted the challenge, and early next morn-
ing preparations were made for the combat.

A space of ground was measured off on the open
plain in front of the city walls, and in the center were
erected altars of turf. The two 'armies were mar-
shalled on opposite sides of this space, the Trojans

is;'

and Etrurians on one side, the Rutulians and La-
tians on the other, and at a given signal every man
fixed his spear in the earth, and laid down his shield.
On the towers and house tops the women and old
men crowded to witness the fight. King Latinus
rode out from the city in a chariot drawn by four
horses, and wearing on his head a crown with twelve
rays of gold. Turnus rode in a chariot drawn by
two white steeds, and he bore in each hand a javelin
tipped with steel. On the other side, /Eneas, bril-
liant in the arms which Vulcan had made, advanced
from his camp into the open space, accompanied by
the young lulus. Then the customary sacrifices
and offerings were made at the altars, after which
the Trojan chief, unsheathing his sword, prayed
aloud to the gods, and pledged his people to the
conditions of the combat: —

" If victory in this fight shall fall to Turnus, the
Trojans shall retire to Evander's city, and no more
make war on the Latians or Rutulians. But if vic-
tory fall to our side, even then I shall not compel the
Italians to be subject to the Trojans, for I desire not
empire for myself. Both nations shall enter into
alliance on equal terms, and Latinus shall still be
king. The Trojans shall build a city for me, and to
it Lavinia shall give her name."

Then Latinus calling on the gods to hear his

188

words, and laying his hand upon the altar, swore for
himself and his people that they would never violate
the treaty of peace, no matter how the combat of
the day should result.

" By the same heaven (said he), and earth, and main,
And all the powers that all the three contain;
Whatever chance befall on either side,
No term of time this union shall divide;
No force, no fortune, shall my vows unbind,
Or shake the steadfast tenor of my mind."

DRYDEN, &neid, BOOK XII.

But while the solemn ceremonies were being car-
ried out at the altars, the Rutulians began to show
signs of dissatisfaction. It seemed to them that the
youthful Turnus was no equal match in arms for the
veteran Trojan.

Already the Rutulians deemed their man
O'ermatched in arms, before the fight began.
First rising fears are whispered through the crowd;
Then, gathering sound, they murmur more aloud.
Now, side to side, they measure with their eyes
The champions' bulk, their sinews, and their size;
The nearer they approach, the more is known
The apparent disadvantage of their own.

DRYDEN, JEneid, BOOK XII.

Then Ju-tur'na, the sister of Turnus, knowing of
the feeling among the Rutulians, resolved to bring
about a violation of the truce which had been made.

1 89

The goddess Juno had instigated her to do so, tell-
ing her that the combat with /Eneas would be fatal

to her brother, and urging her to prevent it. With
this object Juturna, who, being a favorite of Jupiter,
had been by him made a sea-nymph, and immortal,
went into the midst of the Rutulians, and assuming
the form of Ca'mers, an illustrious warrior of their
nation, thus addressed them. " Is it not a shame,
Rutulians, to permit one man to expose his life to
danger for you all ? We are greater in number than
the enemy and equal in valor. If Turnus die in this
fight, he indeed shall be famous forever, but we who
sit here inactive, shall, after losing our country, be
the slaves of haughty masters."

These words incited the Rutulians to a desire for
war, but Juturna still further inflamed their minds
by a singular omen. She caused to appear before
them in the sky an eagle pursuing a flock of swans.
The eagle swooped down upon the swans where
they had alighted on the water of the river, and
seizing one in its talons, was carrying it off. But
suddenly the flock of swans arose, and darting in a
solid body upon the eagle, attacked him with such
force that he dropped his prey and flew off into
the clouds.

The Rutulians understood the meaning of this
spectacle, and with loud shouts they began to make

preparations for battle. One of their number, the
augur To-lum'ni-us, cried out to them to take up
their swords and fall upon the Trojan foreigner,
after the example of the birds who, by united action,
had just vanquished their enemy. Then rushing
forward, Tolumnius cast a spear into the ranks of
the Trojans. Whizzing through the air it struck
an Arcadian youth, one of nine brothers who were
standing together in the Etrurian lines, and pene-
trating his side stretched him dead on the field.

Thus the truce was broken, and immediately a
fierce battle began, warriors on both sides hurling
their darts and plying their swords, the very altars
being overthrown in the struggle. Latinus in deep
grief and disappointment retired from the scene,
'now that all hope of peace was at an end. But the
Trojan chief, with his head uncovered, stretched
forth his unarmed hand, and earnestly appealed to
his own people. " Whither do you rush ? ' he cried.
" How has this discord arisen? Restrain your rage,
for the league is now formed, and all its terms
settled." While thus endeavoring to restore peace,
the pious /Eneas himself was severely wounded.

— While he spoke, unmindful of defence,
A winged arrow struck the pious prince.
But whether from some human hand it came,
Or hostile god, is left unknown by fame ;

191

No human hand, or hostile god, was found,
To boast the triumph of so base a wound.

DRVDEN, /Eneid^ BOOK XII.

was led away to his tent, bleeding from
his wound. Then Turn us called for his war chariot
and his arms, and drove furiously over the plain into
the midst of the Trojans, dealing death around him
on every side.

He drives impetuous, and, where'er he goes,
He leaves behind a lane of slaughtered foes.

DRYDKN, /Eneid, BOOK XII.

One brave Trojan warrior named Phe'geus made
a gallant fight against Turnus. Leaping in front
of the chariot, and seizing the bridles, he strove
with all his might to bring the horses to a stand.
While he was being dragged along, clinging to the

pole, a thrust from the lance of Turnus pierced his
coat of mail and inflicted a slight wound. Still the
heroic Phegeus held on, and, turning towards his
foe, endeavored to reach him with his sword, but
just then, coming against the chariot wheels, he
was hurled to the ground, and in a moment
Turnus, with one blow, struck off his head.

Meanwhile, ^Eneas attended by Mnestheus, the
faithful Achates, and- the young lulus, lay bleeding
in his camp. The barb of the arrow by which he
had been wounded still remained fixed in the flesh,

Drawn by Varian.
(IQ2)

PHEGEUS' GALLANT FIGHT.

193

and not even the skillful surgeon I-a'pis, whom
Apollo himself had instructed in medicine, could
extract it. But the goddess Venus once more
came to the relief of her son. While lapis was
fomenting the wound with water, the goddess,
unseen, dipped into the vessel a branch of dit'ta-ny,
a plant famous for its healing qualities. At the
same time she injected celestial ambrosia, and
juice of the all-curing herb pan-a-ce'a.

Instantly the arrow dropped out, the wound
healed up, and the Trojan chief recovered his full
strength and vigor. Then lapis exclaimed, " Not
by human hand has this cure been effected. Some
powerful god, ^Eneas, has saved you for great enter-
prises." Immediately the hero put on his armor;
and before going out into the battle-field, he tenderly
embraced his son and spoke to him words of coun-
sel and encouragement

•

In his mailed arms his child he pressed,
Kissed through his helm, and thus addressed:
" Learn of your father to be great,
Of others to be fortunate.
This hand awhile shall be your shield
And lead you safe from field to field;
When grown yourself to manhood's prime,
Remember those of former time,
Recall each venerable name,
And catch heroic fire

i94

From Hector's and y£neas' fame,
Your uncle and your sire."

CONINGTON, /Eneid) BOOK XII.

/Eneas now went forth to the fight. The chiefs
and their followers, encouraged by the appearance
of their leader, slew numbers of the enemy, includ-
ing the augur Tolumnius, who had first broken the
truce. But the Trojan hero himself sought only for
Turnus, and he pursued him over the plain. Juturna
seeing this, assumed the shape and likeness of
Me-tis'cus, her brother's charioteer, and taking his
place upon the chariot, drove rapidly through the
field, now here now there, but ever keeping at a dis-
tance from the pursuing Trojan chief.

She steers a various course among the foes;

Now here, now there, her conquering brother shows;

Now with a straight, now with a wheeling flight,

She turns and bends, but shuns the single fight.

^Eneas, fired with fury, breaks the crowd,

And seeks his foe, and calls by name aloud;

He runs within a narrower ring, and tries

To stop the chariot, but the chariot flies.

DRYDEN, sEneid, BOOK XII.

At length /Eneas resolved to brin^ the battle and

o o

the war to a speedy end. While pursuing Turnus,
he had noticed that the city was left without de-
fence, all the Latian and Rutulian troops being
engaged in the field. Calling his chiefs quickly

195

together, he told them of his plan. "The city
before us," said he, "is the center of the enemy's
strength. It is now in our power. This clay
we may overturn it, and lay its smoking towers -
level with the ground. Am I to wait until it
pleases Turnus to accept my challenge ? Quickly
bring firebrands, and very soon we shall establish
peace."

The Trojan forces were at once marshalled, and
led in a solid battalion to the walls, where a vigorous
assault forthwith commenced. Some rushed to the
gates and slew the first they met, others hurled darts
into the city, and others, by means of scaling ladders,
sought to climb over the ramparts. y^Eneas in a
loud voice called the orods to witness that he was

now for the second time compelled to fight, and that
for a second time a solemn league had been violated
by the Latians. Within the town dissension broke
out among the alarmed citizens, some urging that
the gates should be opened to the Trojans, others
taking up arms to defend the walls.

Turnus was in a distant part of the field when he
heard of the attack on the city. A messenger rode
up to him in haste with the intelligence that /Eneas
was about to overthrow the stately towers of Latium,
and that already flaming torches had been applied
to the roofs. Then Turnus saw that the moment

196

for action had come, and he cried out to his sister
(for notwithstanding her disguise he had known her
from the first): "Now, now, sister, my destiny pre-
vails. Forbear to further stop me. Let me follow
whither the gods call. I am resolved to enter the
lists with ^Eneas. No longer shall you see me in
disgrace. Whatever bitterness there is in death I
am ready to endure it."

So saying, Turnus sprang from his chariot, and
bounding over the plain, rushed into the midst of
the combatants at the gates of the city. With out-
stretched arms he made a siom to his friends, and

called upon them in a loud voice : " Rutulians and
Latians, cease fighting. Whatever fortune of the
war remains is mine. It is for me alone by my
sword to put an end to this strife."

tineas, hearing the challege of Turnus, forsook
the lofty walls and towers, and hastened to encoun-
ter his foe. The hosts on both sides laid down their
arms. A space was cleared on the open plain, and
immediately the two heroes rushed to the combat,
with hurling of darts and clashing of swords and
shields.

They launch their spears ; then hand to hand they meet;
The trembling soil resounds beneath their feet ;
Their bucklers clash ; thick blows descend from high,
And flakes of fire from their hard helmets fly.

DKYDEN, sEneid, BOOK XII

197
The great fistfit now be^an. Turnus aimed a

o o o

mighty blow at /Eneas, raising himself on tiptoes,
and adding to the force of the stroke the whole
weight of his body. But the blade snapped in two
as it struck the armor of the Trojan hero, thus leav-
ing the Rutulian chief at the mercy of his foe. The
weapon was one he had hastily snatched up instead
of his own when mounting his chariot for the first

fight of the day. It had served his purpose so long as
he used it only on fleeing Trojans, but when it came
against the armor made by Vulcan it broke like
ice. The unfortunate Rutulian now turned and fled
over the field, calling loudly on his friends to bring
him his sword. /Eneas followed in pursuit, threat-
ening death to any one who should venture to ap-
proach, and thus five times round the lists they ran.

Five times they circle round the place,
Five times the winding course retrace ;
No trivial game is here ; the strife
Is waged for Turnus' own dear life.

CONINGTON, Mneid^ BOOK XII.

Finding that he could not overtake the fleeing
Turnus, tineas resolved a^ain to make trial of his

celestial spear. At the outset of the combat, he had
hurled this weapon with such force, that it fixed
itself deep in the stump of a wild olive tree that
stood in the field. The tree had been sacred to

198

the deity Faunus, but the Trojans had cut it down
to make a clear ground for their military movements.
When /Eneas attempted to wrench the spear out,
Turnus prayed to Faunus to detain the weapon.

" O Faunus ! pity ! and thou, mother Earth,
Where I thy foster-son received my birth,
Hold fast the steel ! If my religious hand
Your plant has honored, which your foes profaned,
Propitious hear my pious prayer."

DRYDEN, dLneid^ BOOK XII.

But now the power of the gods was exercised on
behalf of both heroes. While /Eneas struggled in
vain to extricate the javelin, Juturna, again taking
the form of Metiscus, ran forward to her brother
and gave him his own sword. Then Venus came to
the aid of her son, and the steel was easily drawn
from the tough root. Once more the two chiefs
stood ready for the combat, the one relying on his
trusty sword, the other, on the spear which a god
had made.

Meanwhile the goddess Juno, sitting in a yellow
cloud, was watching the combat, and Jupiter, com-
ing near, advised her to abandon her hopeless enmity
to the Trojans, and forbade her to further resist the
decree of heaven. Juno was now ready to yield,
but on one condition — " When by this marriage
they establish peace, let the people of Latium retain

their ancient name and language. Let Latium sub-
sist Let the sons of Rome rise to imperial power
by means of Italian valor. Troy has perished. Let
the name also perish." To this the king of heaven
replied : " I grant what you desire. The Italians
shall retain their native lansaia^e and customs.

o o

The Trojans shall settle in Latium and mingle with
its people and all shall be called Latins and have
but one speech."

" All shall be Latium; Troy without a name;
And her lost sons forget from whence they came.
From blood so mixed a pious race shall flow,
Equal to gods, excelling all below.
No nation more respect to you shall pay,
Or greater offerings on your altars lay. "
Juno consents, well pleased that her desires
Had found success, and from the cloud retires.

DRYDEN, SEneid^ BOOK XII.

Then Jupiter sent one of the Furies down to the
field of battle, in the form of an owl, and the evil
bird flew backwards and forwards in the sight of
Turnus, flapping its wings. The chief, knowing
that this was an unfavorable omen, hesitated to
advance, and /Eneas calling to him aloud cried,

" Turnus, why do you further decline to fight ? It
is not in running that we must now try our skill,
but with arms in close conflict." " I have no fear of
you, insulting foe," answered Turnus. " My dread

200

is of the gods, who are against me." As he spoke,
he saw on the ground before him a huge stone, such
as only a man of giant strength could lift. Seizing
it and poising it over his head he rushed forward.
and hurled it against the enemy.

But wildering fears his mind unman;
Running, he knew not that he ran,

Nor throwing that he threw;
Heavily move his sinking knees;
The streams of life wax dull and freeze;
The stone, as through the void it passed,
Reached not the measure of its cast,

Nor held its purpose true.

CONINGTON; &neid, BOOK XII.

^Eneas, now taking careful aim, and putting forth
the whole strength of his body, hurled his fatal
spear. Like a whirlwind it flew, and with mighty
force breaking through the shield and corselet of
the Rutulian chief, pierced his thigh. Down to the
earth he sank on his knees, and the Trojan chief
rushed forward sword in hand. Then the van-
quished hero besought the conqueror: " I have
deserved my fate, and I do not deprecate it, yet if
any regard for an unhappy father can move you,
have compassion on the aged Daunus. You too
had such a father. You have triumphed. Lavinia
is yours. Persist not further in hate."

^Eneas was much affected by this appeal. It

2OI

almost moved him to spare the life of his foe, but the
belt of Pallas which the wounded man wore sealed
his fate. As soon as it caught the eye of the Trojan
he raised his sword and with one blow avenged the
death of the brave son of Evander.

Then, roused anew to wrath, he loudly cries

(Flames, while he spoke, came flashing from his eyes),

" Traitor! dost thou, dost thou to grace pretend,

Clad, as thou art, in trophies of my friend ?

To his sad soul a grateful offering go!

'Tis Pallas, Pallas gives this deadly blow!"

He raised his arm aloft, and at the word,

Deep in his bosom drove the shining sword.

The streaming blood distained his arms around;

And the disdainful soul came rushing through the wound.

DRYDEN, JEneid^ BOOK XII.

Here ends the story of ^neas as related by Ver-
gil. There was no more to be told, that could
properly come within the limits of the subject, as
set forth in the opening lines of the /Eneid :

Arms and the man I sing, who, forced by Fate,
And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate,
Expelled and exiled, left ths Trojan shore.
Long labors, both by sea and land, he bore,
And in the doubtful war, before ho won
The Latian realm, and built the destined town.

2O2

The poet undertook to tell about the wanderings
of the hero, and his long labors both by sea and
land, up to the time he won a settlement in Italy.
This was accomplished by the death of Turnus,
which put an end to the war. The brave Rutulian
chief made a gallant fight, but the fates were against
him. He would probably have been the victor had
his antagonist been any other than the man of des-
tiny, who had the decrees of heaven always on his
side.

As to the subsequent history of y£neas, the Ro-
man traditions tell us that he married the princess
Lavinia, and built a city which was called after her
name — Lavinium. Upon the death of his father-in-
law, Latinus, he became king of Latium. But though
he was then in possession of his long promised set-
tlement, his wars were not entirely over, for we are
told that he fought a battle with the Rutulians who,
though their king was dead, were still unwilling to
submit to a foreigner. In this battle, which took
place on the bank of the river Numicus, the Trojan
hero mysteriously disappeared and was seen no more.
Some say he was drowned in the river, and that the
Latins, not finding the body, supposed he had been
taken up to heaven, and therefore offered him sacri-
fices as a god.

On the death of the hero, his son lulus succeeded

203

him, and built the city of Alba Longa, which was
ruled for many centuries by kings of the line of
^Eneas, whose descendants were the founders of
Rome.

From whence the race of Alban Fathers corney
And the long glories of majestic Rome.

•

* «

• 3 flO.

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j j

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